Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 6, 2026
05:23
Author Spotlight: Decoding Metastasis-to-Metastasis Seeding Using a New In Vivo Technique for Tracking Breast Cancer Spread
Published on: July 7, 2023
1.6K
Interactions Between Disseminated Tumor Cells and Bone Marrow Stromal Cells Regulate Tumor Dormancy
D Brooke Widner1, Sun H Park1, Matthew R Eber1
1Department of Cancer Biology and Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Medical Center Blvd, Winston-Salem, NC, 27157-1082, USA.
Current Osteoporosis Reports
|August 22, 2018
Summary
Bone marrow stromal cells regulate cancer cell dormancy through interactions with disseminated tumor cells. Understanding these mechanisms is key to developing new cancer therapies targeting dormant cells.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Cell Biology
- Cancer Metastasis
Background:
- The bone marrow microenvironment plays a critical role in cancer cell dormancy.
- Disseminated tumor cells often reside in the bone marrow, leading to metastatic recurrence.
Purpose of the Study:
- To summarize recent findings on how bone marrow stromal cells regulate disseminated tumor cell dormancy.
- To elucidate the crosstalk between the bone marrow microenvironment and dormant cancer cells.
Main Methods:
- Review of recent scientific literature on cancer cell dormancy and bone marrow interactions.
- Analysis of key signaling pathways involved in dormancy regulation.
Main Results:
- Bone marrow stromal cells, including osteoblasts, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), and endothelial cells, influence cancer cell dormancy.
- Identified key pathways: TGF-β2 signaling, MSC-derived exosomes with microRNA, cancer cell cannibalism of MSCs, and TSP1 secretion by endothelial cells.
Conclusions:
- Understanding bone marrow stroma interactions is crucial for explaining dormancy and reactivation of disseminated tumor cells.
- Targeting these dormancy-regulating pathways may lead to novel therapeutic strategies against metastatic cancer.
Related Concept Videos
02:40Cancer Stem Cells and Tumor Maintenance
6.0K
Early diagnosis and treatment can often cure cancer. However, even with treatment, residual cells called cancer stem cells (CSC) might remain, often causing tumor recurrence. These cancer stem cells possess the potential for self-renewal and multi-lineage differentiation and are often responsible for the therapeutic resistance displayed in most cancers.
Cancer stem cells are thought to originate from tissue-specific normal stem cells or progenitor cells. The normal stem cells usually reside in...
Cancer stem cells are thought to originate from tissue-specific normal stem cells or progenitor cells. The normal stem cells usually reside in...
6.0K
01:28pH Regulation in Cells
7.7K
pH plays a critical role in maintaining normal cellular activities. It helps maintain the structure and function of various proteins, dictates the charge on cellular membranes, and is crucial for metabolic reactions inside the cell. Moreover, cells use the energy from the proton motive force to generate ATP.
Cytosolic pH
Under physiological conditions, the cytosolic pH is slightly more acidic than the extracellular pH. However, cells must prevent further acidification of their cytosol to...
Cytosolic pH
Under physiological conditions, the cytosolic pH is slightly more acidic than the extracellular pH. However, cells must prevent further acidification of their cytosol to...
7.7K
01:22Bone Marrow Sampling and Transplants
1.2K
Bone marrow transplant is a potential cure for several diseases, including cancer and specific genetic disorders. Notably, this procedure is applicable for patients suffering from aplastic anemia, certain types of leukemia, severe combined immunodeficiency disease (SCID), Hodgkin's disease, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, multiple myeloma, thalassemia, sickle-cell disease, and certain cancers.
The transplant begins with high doses of chemotherapy and radiation treatment, which aim to destroy...
The transplant begins with high doses of chemotherapy and radiation treatment, which aim to destroy...
1.2K
01:27Tumor Immunotherapy
2.0K
Immunotherapy is a treatment that boosts or manipulates the immune system to fight diseases, including cancer. For instance, by stimulating an immune response through vaccinations against viruses that cause cancers, like hepatitis B virus and human papillomavirus, these diseases can be prevented. Nonetheless, some cancer cells can avoid the immune system due to their rapid mutation and division. The immune response to many cancers involves three phases: elimination, equilibrium, and escape.
2.0K
02:07Tumor Progression
7.4K
Tumor progression is a phenomenon where the pre-formed tumor acquires successive mutations to become clinically more aggressive and malignant. In the 1950s, Foulds first described the stepwise progression of cancer cells through successive stages.
Colon cancer is one of the best-documented examples of tumor progression. Early mutation in the APC gene in colon cells causes a small growth on the colon wall called a polyp. With time, this polyp grows into a benign, pre-cancerous tumor. Further...
Colon cancer is one of the best-documented examples of tumor progression. Early mutation in the APC gene in colon cells causes a small growth on the colon wall called a polyp. With time, this polyp grows into a benign, pre-cancerous tumor. Further...
7.4K
02:17The Tumor Microenvironment
7.8K
Every normal cell or tissue is embedded in a complex local environment called stroma, consisting of different cell types, a basal membrane, and blood vessels. As normal cells mutate and develop into cancer cells, their local environment also changes to allow cancer progression. The tumor microenvironment (TME) consists of a complex cellular matrix of stromal cells and the developing tumor. The cross-talk between cancer cells and surrounding stromal cells is critical to disrupt normal tissue...
7.8K