the role of tumour stroma in colorectal cancer invasion and metastasis肿瘤基质的作用在结直肠癌的浸润和转移.pdfVIP

Cancers 2011, 3, 2160-2168; doi:10.3390/cancers3022160 OPEN ACCESS cancers ISSN 2072-6694 /journal/cancers Article The Role of Tumour Stroma in Colorectal Cancer Invasion and Metastasis John Conti * and Gareth Thomas Cancer Sciences Division, Southampton University, Somers Building, Southampton General Hospital, Mailpoint 824, Tremona Road, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: jaconti1@soton.ac.uk. Received: 23 February 2011; in revised form: 5 April 2011 / Accepted: 6 April 2011 / Published: 26 April 2011 Abstract: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a major cause of mortality in western society with a 5-year survival of approximately 50%. Metastasis to the liver and lungs is the principal cause of death and occurs in up to 25% of patients at presentation. Despite advances in available techniques for treating metastases, the majority of patients remain incurable and existing adjuvant therapies such as chemotherapy are only of limited effectiveness. Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying the metastatic process may allow us to identify those at greatest risk of recurrence and discover new tumour targets to prevent disease progression. It is now apparent that tumour stroma plays an important role in promoting tumour progression. A pronounced desmoplastic reaction was associated with a reduced immune response and has been shown to be an independe