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Targeting the Tumor Stroma in Breast Cancer

  • Systemic Research (J Cortes, Section Editor)
  • Published:
Current Breast Cancer Reports Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Tumor stroma is constituted by blood vessels, fibroblasts, leukocytes, and intercellular fibers. As opposed to the stroma of normal tissue, tumor stroma has an aberrant physiology. The tumor cells can secrete growth factors that can reprogram the stroma so that it exerts several tumor progression roles and supports a positive feedback loop that preserve a microenvironment favorable for the tumor and hostile for the patient’s interests (limiting the delivery of chemotherapy, blocking immune response, and keeping hypoxic conditions). In this review, we discuss the recent advances in understanding this tumor-stromal cross-talk and how the signaling systems implicated on it can be useful for targeted therapeutics. We will discuss the available results from trials completed with targeted agents with antistromal effects and also retrospective studies conducted with patient cohorts taking other non-cancer drugs to which recently several antistromal properties have been described, such as antihypertensives. Finally, we will show our preclinical results regarding hypoxia tracking with 18F-fluoromisonidazole, a PET tracer, as a potential tool to specifically monitor the positive or negative effects of antistromal agents.

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Acknowledgments

MQF is a recipient of the following grants: FIS PI-2010/0288, FIS PI-2013/00430, AECC Scientific Foundation “Beca de Retorno 2010”, and the SEOM 2012—Spanish Society of Medical Oncology.

Compliance with Ethics Guidelines

ᅟ

Conflict of Interest

Jesus Sanchez declares that he has no conflict of interest.

Miguel Quintela-Fandino has received grants and research funds from Boehringer Ingelheim and Novartis.

Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Breast Cancer Clinical Research Unit, CNIO - Spanish National Cancer Research Center, Melchor Fernandez Almagro, 3, 28029, Madrid, Spain

    Jesus Sanchez-Ruiz & Miguel Quintela-Fandino

  2. Medical Oncology Division, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Madrid, Spain

    Miguel Quintela-Fandino

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  1. Jesus Sanchez-Ruiz
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  2. Miguel Quintela-Fandino
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Correspondence to Miguel Quintela-Fandino.

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Sanchez-Ruiz, J., Quintela-Fandino, M. Targeting the Tumor Stroma in Breast Cancer. Curr Breast Cancer Rep 7, 71–79 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12609-014-0173-9

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