LIWEN FENG^1,2,#,*, YUTING CHEN^3,#, WENYI JIN⁴

Oncology Research, Vol.33, No.5, pp. 1091-1103, 2025, DOI:10.32604/or.2024.054207 - 18 April 2025

Abstract Osteosarcoma (OS) is a prevalent primary bone malignancy with limited treatment options. Therefore, it is imperative to investigate and understand the mechanisms underlying OS pathogenesis. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are markedly abundant in tumor stromal cells and are essentially involved in the modulation of tumor occurrence and development. In recent years, CAFs have become a hotspot as researchers aim to elucidate CAF mechanisms that regulate tumor progression. However, most studies on CAFs are limited to a few common cancers, and their association with OS remains elusive. This review describes the role and current knowledge of CAFs More >

TAO SUN^1,2, QINGHUA SONG³, HUA LIU^1,*

Oncology Research, Vol.33, No.1, pp. 133-148, 2025, DOI:10.32604/or.2024.054141 - 20 December 2024

Abstract Background: Lung cancer is a life-threatening disease that occurs worldwide, but is especially common in China. The crucial role of the tumour microenvironment (TME) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has attracted recent attention. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are the main factors that contribute to the TME function, and CAF exosomes are closely linked to NSCLC. Methods: The expression levels of miR-3124-5p and Toll-interacting protein (TOLLIP) were analysed by bioinformatics prediction combined with RT-qPCR/Western Blot detection. Fibroblasts were isolated and identified from clinical NSCLC tissues. Transmission electron microscopy and Western Blot were used to identify exosomes… More >

Jian-Wei Wang, Xiao-Feng Wu, Xiao-Juan Gu, Xing-Hua Jiang

Oncology Research, Vol.27, No.9, pp. 979-986, 2019, DOI:10.3727/096504018X15336368805108

Abstract Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) play a predominant role in regulating tumor progression. Understanding how CAFs communicate with osteosarcoma is crucial for developing novel approaches for osteosarcoma therapy. Exosomes are able to transmit messages between cells. In this study, we demonstrated that CAFs transfer exosomes to osteosarcoma cells, which promotes osteosarcoma cell migration and invasion. Using a miRNA microarray analysis, we identified 13 miRNAs that are significantly increased in exosomes derived from cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) and corresponding paracancer fibroblasts (PAFs). In vitro studies further validated that the levels of microRNA-1228 (miR-1228) were increased in CAFs, its secreted More >

Lulin Zhang, Jun Yao, Wenyao Li, Ce Zhang

Oncology Research, Vol.26, No.6, pp. 827-836, 2018, DOI:10.3727/096504017X14934840662335

Abstract Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the leading causes of cancer deaths due to its highly aggressive biological nature and resistance to chemotherapy. Previous studies indicate that miR-21 is an important regulator in the activation of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs). However, whether miR-21 in CAFs would regulate PDAC’s tumor microenvironment and lead to drug resistance remain unknown. In this study, we evaluated the relationship between CAF activation, miR-21 expression, and drug resistance using tumor samples from PDAC patients. We changed the miR-21 expression level in CAFs and tested its roles in regulating the function of… More >