Daniel Worthley

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  Connective tissue stem cells in the tumor microenvironment
  Daniel Worthley

  The tumor microenvironment presents an exciting opportunity for innovative therapeutic approaches to cancer. The origin and exact biological contribution of the peritumoral connective tissue at the primary and metastatic sites, however, is still uncertain. Just as one would not assess the average of “hematopoietic� contribution to the tumor microenvironment without considering distinct cell types, so too lumping together all “peritumoral mesenchyme� or “cancer-associated fibroblasts� on the basis of broad markers is likely to oversimplify a diverse connective-tissue contribution to cancer. In this presentation I will discuss the types of connective tissue cells in cancer. I will outline recent studies addressing the biological function of these cells in cancer and discuss our own research on the heterogeneity of connective tissue stem cells in the intestine, the bone and in several cancer models. Understanding the biological heterogeneity of mesenchymal cells in cancer will provide new opportunities for targeted cancer prevention and therapy.