Despite advances in surgery, radiotherapy and immunotherapy, the mortality rate for gastric cancer remains one of the highest in the world. A large body of evidence has demonstrated that cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), as core members of the stroma, can secrete cytokines, proteins and exosomes to create a tumour microenvironment that is conducive to cancer cell survival. CAFs can also interact with cancer cells to form a complex signalling network, enabling cancer cells to more easily metastasise to other organs and tissues in the body and develop metastatic foci. In this review, we provide an overview of the CAFs concept and activators. We focus on elucidating their effects on immune cells, intratumoural vasculature, extracellular matrix, as well as cancer cell activity, metastatic power and metabolism, and on enhancing the metastatic ability of cancer cells through activation of JAK/STAT, NF/κB and CXCL12/CXCR4. Various therapeutic agents targeting CAFs are also under development and are expected to improve the prognosis of gastric cancer in combination with existing treatment options.
Keyphrases
- extracellular matrix
- squamous cell carcinoma
- small cell lung cancer
- signaling pathway
- stem cells
- minimally invasive
- gene expression
- papillary thyroid
- endothelial cells
- locally advanced
- radiation therapy
- risk factors
- coronary artery bypass
- lps induced
- vascular endothelial growth factor
- cancer therapy
- acute coronary syndrome
- inflammatory response
- lymph node metastasis
- atrial fibrillation
- percutaneous coronary intervention
- rectal cancer