Mesenchymal Stem Cells as Regulators of Carcinogenesis

Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) are adult stem cells; isolated from various body parts including bone marrow, adipose tissue and dental tissue, have been characterized well and used in regenerative medicine applications. The promising potential of MSCs makes them great candidates in many disorders. It has been well known in the literature that MSCs interact with cancer cells and regulate the carcinogenesis process at different stages. The dual role of MSCs in cancer progression should be clearly identified at the physiological and molecular level to identify clinical potential in cancer treatment. The promoting or suppressive role of MSCs in cancer is controlled by various growth factors, cytokines and chemokines which affect the cell proliferation, angiogenesis and metastasis. Although many studies have been conducted to explore MSC-cancer cell interactions, it is still unclear how MSCs communicate with cancer cells and tumor microenvironment. Further studies are required to investigate secreted factors and paracrine effects, tumor stroma environment, molecular regulators and downstream pathways that are involved in MSC-cancer interaction loop. MSC type, cancer type and stage specific phenotypic and transcriptomic profile changes should be identified in detail to improve clinical use of MSCs in cancer either as a target or as a tool.In the current book chapter, we review the literature to summarize current information about the MSC-cancer cell interactions in terms of soluble factors, angiogenesis, metastasis and drug resistance. The role of MSCs in tumor progression or suppression was discussed based on the current literature.