Abstract

Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are a key component of the tumour microenvironment with diverse functions, including matrix deposition and remodelling, extensive reciprocal signalling interactions with cancer cells and crosstalk with infiltrating leukocytes. As such, they are a potential target for optimizing therapeutic strategies against cancer. However, many challenges are present in ongoing attempts to modulate CAFs for therapeutic benefit. These include limitations in our understanding of the origin of CAFs and heterogeneity in CAF function, with it being desirable to retain some antitumorigenic functions. On the basis of a meeting of experts in the field of CAF biology, we summarize in this Consensus Statement our current knowledge and present a framework for advancing our understanding of this critical cell type within the tumour microenvironment.

This Consensus Statement highlights the importance of cancer-associated fibroblasts in cancer biology and progression, and issues a call to action for all cancer researchers to standardize assays and report metadata in studies of cancer-associated fibroblasts to advance our understanding of this important cell type in the tumour microenvironment.

Details

Title
A framework for advancing our understanding of cancer-associated fibroblasts
Author
Sahai, Erik 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Astsaturov Igor 2   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Cukierman Edna 3 ; DeNardo, David G 4   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Egeblad Mikala 5 ; Evans, Ronald M 6 ; Fearon, Douglas 7 ; Greten, Florian R 8   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Hingorani, Sunil R 9 ; Hunter, Tony 10 ; Hynes, Richard O 11 ; Jain, Rakesh K 12   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Janowitz, Tobias 13 ; Jorgensen, Claus 14 ; Kimmelman, Alec C 15 ; Kolonin, Mikhail G 16 ; Maki, Robert G 17 ; Scott, Powers R 18 ; Puré Ellen 19 ; Ramirez, Daniel C 20 ; Scherz-Shouval Ruth 21 ; Sherman, Mara H 22 ; Stewart, Sheila 23   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Tlsty, Thea D 24 ; Tuveson, David A 5 ; Watt, Fiona M 25   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Weaver, Valerie 26 ; Weeraratna Ashani T 27 ; Werb Zena 28   VIAFID ORCID Logo 

1  The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK (GRID:grid.451388.3) (ISNI:0000 0004 1795 1830) 
2  Marvin and Concetta Greenberg Pancreatic Cancer Institute, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, USA (GRID:grid.412530.1) (ISNI:0000 0004 0456 6466) 
3  Marvin & Concetta Greenberg Pancreatic Cancer Institute, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Cancer Biology Program, Philadelphia, USA (GRID:grid.412530.1) (ISNI:0000 0004 0456 6466) 
4  Washington University Medical School, Division of Oncology, St Louis, USA (GRID:grid.4367.6) (ISNI:0000 0001 2355 7002) 
5  Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, USA (GRID:grid.225279.9) (ISNI:0000 0004 0387 3667) 
6  Gene Expression Laboratory, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, USA (GRID:grid.250671.7) (ISNI:0000 0001 0662 7144); Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, USA (GRID:grid.250671.7) (ISNI:0000 0001 0662 7144) 
7  Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, USA (GRID:grid.225279.9) (ISNI:0000 0004 0387 3667); Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, USA (GRID:grid.5386.8) (ISNI:000000041936877X) 
8  Georg-Speyer-Haus, Institute for Tumor Biology and Experimental Therapy, Frankfurt, Germany (GRID:grid.418483.2) (ISNI:0000 0001 1088 7029); Frankfurt Cancer Institute, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany (GRID:grid.7839.5) (ISNI:0000 0004 1936 9721) 
9  Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, USA (GRID:grid.270240.3) (ISNI:0000 0001 2180 1622) 
10  Molecular and Cell Biology Laboratory, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, USA (GRID:grid.250671.7) (ISNI:0000 0001 0662 7144) 
11  Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, USA (GRID:grid.116068.8) (ISNI:0000 0001 2341 2786) 
12  Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Edwin L Steele Laboratories, Department of Radiation Oncology, Boston, USA (GRID:grid.32224.35) (ISNI:0000 0004 0386 9924) 
13  Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, USA (GRID:grid.225279.9) (ISNI:0000 0004 0387 3667); Northwell Health Cancer Institute, New Hyde Park, USA (GRID:grid.416477.7) (ISNI:0000 0001 2168 3646) 
14  Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute, University of Manchester, Nether Alderley, UK (GRID:grid.5379.8) (ISNI:0000000121662407) 
15  New York University Medical Center, Department of Radiation Oncology, Perlmutter Cancer Center, New York, USA (GRID:grid.240324.3) (ISNI:0000 0001 2109 4251) 
16  Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine, The University of Texas Health Sciences Center at Houston, Houston, USA (GRID:grid.267308.8) (ISNI:0000 0000 9206 2401) 
17  Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, USA (GRID:grid.225279.9) (ISNI:0000 0004 0387 3667); Northwell Health Cancer Institute, New York, USA (GRID:grid.416477.7) (ISNI:0000 0001 2168 3646); Abramson Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA (GRID:grid.25879.31) (ISNI:0000 0004 1936 8972) 
18  Stony Brook University, Department of Pathology, Stony Brook, USA (GRID:grid.36425.36) (ISNI:0000 0001 2216 9681) 
19  School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Philadelphia, USA (GRID:grid.25879.31) (ISNI:0000 0004 1936 8972) 
20  Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell Health System, New York, USA (GRID:grid.25879.31) 
21  The Weizmann Institute of Science, Department of Biomolecular Sciences, Rehovot, Israel (GRID:grid.13992.30) (ISNI:0000 0004 0604 7563) 
22  Oregon Health & Science University, Department of Cell, Developmental & Cancer Biology, Portland, USA (GRID:grid.5288.7) (ISNI:0000 0000 9758 5690) 
23  ICCE Institute, Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, Department of Medicine, St Louis, USA (GRID:grid.4367.6) (ISNI:0000 0001 2355 7002) 
24  UCSF Helen Diller Comprehensive Cancer Center, San Francisco, USA (GRID:grid.266102.1) (ISNI:0000 0001 2297 6811); UCSF, Department of Pathology, San Francisco, USA (GRID:grid.266102.1) (ISNI:0000 0001 2297 6811) 
25  King’s College London, Guy’s Hospital, Centre for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, London, UK (GRID:grid.13097.3c) (ISNI:0000 0001 2322 6764) 
26  University of California, San Francisco, Center for Bioengineering and Tissue Regeneration, Department of Surgery, San Francisco, USA (GRID:grid.266102.1) (ISNI:0000 0001 2297 6811) 
27  Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, USA (GRID:grid.21107.35) (ISNI:0000 0001 2171 9311) 
28  University of California, San Francisco, Department of Anatomy, San Francisco, USA (GRID:grid.266102.1) (ISNI:0000 0001 2297 6811) 
Pages
174-186
Publication year
2020
Publication date
Mar 2020
Publisher
Nature Publishing Group
ISSN
1474175X
e-ISSN
14741768
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41568-019-0238-1
ProQuest document ID
2366607890
Copyright
This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.