Mesenchymal Stem Cells: Their Role in the Tumor Microenvironment

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been seen for years as great candidates for treating different diseases and an alternative to embryonic stem cells due to their differentiation capacity in vitro. More recent research has focused on their ability to modulate the immune response and regeneration at sites associated with inflammation, activities attributable to the release of trophic factors into the extracellular medium, a set of components known as the secretome. It has been possible to demonstrate the presence of these cells within the tumor microenvironment, which is associated with their tropism for sites of inflammation; however, their role here needs to be clarified. In different investigations, the feasibility of using MSCs or their secretome to treat cancer has been sought, with these results being ambiguous. It has been described that MSCs can be activated and present various phenotypes, which could explain the divergence in their action; however, these activation mechanisms and the different phenotypes still need to be well known. This review explores MSCs and their use in regenerative medicine with a targeted approach to cancer. Impact Statement This text addresses the diverging findings on the role of mesenchymal stem cells in the tumor microenvironment and discrepancies on the use of these cells as cancer treatment, separating the direct use of the cells from the use of the secretome. Multiple authors refer equally to the cells and their secretome to conclude on the positive or negative outcome, without taking into consideration how the cells are affected by their surroundings.