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PMID: 19091631 Published · ppublish English Journal Article Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

Breast cancer by proxy: can the microenvironment be both the cause and consequence?

Trends in molecular medicine ·Vol. 15 ·No. 1 ·2009-01-00 ·Pages 5-13

Rønnov-Jessen L, Bissell MJ

Abstract

Breast cancer is one of the most clear-cut examples of a solid tumor in which systemic cues play a decisive part in its development. The breast tissue is constantly subjected to changes in hormone levels and modifications in the microenvironment. This scenario is even more striking during tumor development because of the dramatic loss or aberration of basement membrane (BM) and myoepithelial cells and the gain of peritumoral myofibroblasts. We suggest that the microenvironment, defined here as all components of the mammary gland other than luminal and/or tumor epithelial cells, might be instrumental in maintaining organ integrity and in promoting, and at times even initiating, breast cancer development. As such, the tumor microenvironment and its constituents, alone or in combination, might serve as promising targets for therapy.

MeSH Terms
Basement Membrane/pathology Breast Neoplasms/physiopathology Epithelial Cells/pathology Female Humans Risk Factors Stromal Cells/pathology
Authors & Affiliations
2 authors, click to expand affiliations / ORCID
Rønnov-Jessen Lone
Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 13, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark. lronnov-jessen@bio.ku.dk
Bissell Mina J
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Article Info
Journal
Trends in molecular medicine
Abbr.
Trends Mol Med
ISSN
1471-4914
DOI
10.1016/j.molmed.2008.11.001
Email
lronnov-jessen@bio.ku.dk
Published
2009-01-00
Epub
2008-00-16
Pages
5-13
Language
English
Region
England
NLM ID
100966035
PMCID
PMC2746030
Subset
IM
Grants
NCI NIH HHS · R01CA064786 · United States
NCI NIH HHS · U54CA126552 · United States
NCI NIH HHS · U54 CA126552 · United States
NCI NIH HHS · U54 CA126552-03 · United States
NCI NIH HHS · R01 CA064786-10 · United States
NCI NIH HHS · R01 CA064786 · United States
External Links
PubMed source DOI: 10.1016/j.molmed.2008.11.001 PMC Full Text View journal details
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