The majority of studies of neoplastic transformation have focused attention on events that
occur within transformed cells. These cell autonomous events result in the disruption of …

Although the stroma within carcinogenic lesions is known to be supportive and responsive to
tumors, new data increasingly show that the stroma also has a more active, oncogenic role …

Malignant transformation of an epithelium occurs within the context of a dynamically
evolving tissue stroma that is composed of multiple cell types surrounded by an extracellular …

The tumor microenvironment, composed of non‐cancer cells and their stroma, has become
recognized as a major factor influencing the growth of cancer. The microenvironment has …

Recently, a view of the tumor as a functional tissue interconnected with the
microenvironment has recently been described. For many years, the stroma has been …

The importance of stromal cells and the factors that they express during cancer initiation and
progression has been highlighted by recent literature. The cellular components of the stroma …

Numerous studies have demonstrated that the tumor microenvironment not only responds to
and supports carcinogenesis, but also actively contributes to tumor initiation, progression …

In the past century, gradual but sustained advances in our understanding of the molecular
mechanisms involved in the growth and invasive properties of cancer cells have led to better …

Publisher Summary This chapter describes various modes of interaction between malignant
cells and stroma. Malignant cells are shown to produce various lytic enzymes, which attack …

The basement membrane, immune cells, capillaries, fibroblasts and extracellular matrix
(ECM) constitute the tumour stroma, commonly referred to as the 'reactive stroma'. The …