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Updated: Aug 14, 2025

Preparation of 3D Collagen Gels and Microchannels for the Study of 3D Interactions In Vivo
Published on: May 9, 2016
Collagens in Cancer: Structural Regulators and Guardians of Cancer Progression
Daniela De Martino1, Jose Javier Bravo-Cordero1
1Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, The Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York.
Abstract:
Collagen is one of the most abundant proteins in animals and a major component of the extracellular matrix (ECM) in tissues. Besides playing a role as a structural building block of tissues, collagens can modulate the behavior of cells, and their deregulation can promote diseases such as cancer. In tumors, collagens and many other ECM molecules are mainly produced by fibroblasts, and recent evidence points toward a role of tumor-derived collagens in tumor progression and metastasis. In this review, we focus on the newly discovered functions of collagens in cancer. Novel findings have revealed the role of collagens in tumor dormancy and immune evasion, as well as their interplay with cancer cell metabolism. Collagens could serve as prognostic markers for patients with cancer, and therapeutic strategies targeting the collagen ECM have the potential to prevent tumor progression and metastasis.
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