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Journal of Hematology & Oncology
Published in: Journal of Hematology & Oncology 1/2019

Open Access 01-12-2019 | Cancer Immunotherapy | Review

Cancer-associated fibroblasts: an emerging target of anti-cancer immunotherapy

Authors: Tongyan Liu, Chencheng Han, Siwei Wang, Panqi Fang, Zhifei Ma, Lin Xu, Rong Yin

Published in: Journal of Hematology & Oncology | Issue 1/2019

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Abstract

Among all the stromal cells that present in the tumor microenvironment, cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are one of the most abundant and critical components of the tumor mesenchyme, which not only provide physical support for tumor cells but also play a key role in promoting and retarding tumorigenesis in a context-dependent manner. CAFs have also been involved in the modulation of many components of the immune system, and recent studies have revealed their roles in immune evasion and poor responses to cancer immunotherapy. In this review, we describe our current understanding of the tumorigenic significance, origin, and heterogeneity of CAFs, as well as the roles of different CAFs subtypes in distinct immune cell types. More importantly, we highlight potential therapeutic strategies that target CAFs to unleash the immune system against the tumor.
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Metadata
Title
Cancer-associated fibroblasts: an emerging target of anti-cancer immunotherapy
Authors
Tongyan Liu
Chencheng Han
Siwei Wang
Panqi Fang
Zhifei Ma
Lin Xu
Rong Yin
Publication date
01-12-2019
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
Journal of Hematology & Oncology / Issue 1/2019
Electronic ISSN: 1756-8722
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s13045-019-0770-1

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