Level D· Scientific groundwork from lab and animal studiesNarrative ReviewEurope PMCOpen access

Stromal Cells Present in the Melanoma Niche Affect Tumor Invasiveness and Its Resistance to Therapy

Mazurkiewicz J., Simiczyjew A., Dratkiewicz E., Ziętek M., Matkowski R., Nowak D.

Narrative Review, published in Int J Mol Sci (2021) — summary generated from the PubMed abstract.

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Level D· Scientific groundwork from lab and animal studiesEvidence level of this study

Evidence from laboratory and animal studies provides groundwork for understanding mechanisms and potential before human studies continue.

  • Level A · Stronger Clinical Evidence
  • Level B · Emerging clinical evidence with positive signals
  • Level C · Early human research exploring benefits
  • Level D · Scientific groundwork from lab and animal studies
  • Emerging · Emerging topic under active research
Read the A–D evidence level guide

This page is generated from the PubMed record. The Thai description is an automated summary of bibliographic fields and the abstract, not a full translation, and is not medical advice.

Study type
Narrative Review
Journal
Int J Mol Sci (2021)
Reported sample size
—
Source database
Europe PMC
PMID
33430277
PMCID
PMC7825728
DOI
10.3390/ijms22020529
Citations
40

Abstract (original English)

Malignant melanoma is a highly metastatic type of cancer, which arises frequently from transformed pigment cells and melanocytes as a result of long-term UV radiation exposure. In recent years, the incidence of newly diagnosed melanoma patients reached 5% of all cancer cases. Despite the development of novel targeted therapies directed against melanoma-specific markers, patients' response to treatment is often weak or short-term due to a rapid acquisition of drug resistance. Among the factors affecting therapy effectiveness, elements of the tumor microenvironment play a major role. Melanoma niche encompasses adjacent cells, such as keratinocytes, cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), adipocytes, and immune cells, as well as components of the extracellular matrix and tumor-specific physicochemical properties. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge concerning the influence of cancer-associated cells (keratinocytes, CAFs, adipocytes) on the process of melanomagenesis, tumor progression, invasiveness, and the emergence of drug resistance in melanoma. We also address how melanoma can alter the differentiation and activation status of cells present in the tumor microenvironment. Understanding these complex interactions between malignant and cancer-associated cells could improve the development of effective antitumor therapeutic strategies.

What this study does not prove

  • • This study does not prove SVF is an approved treatment or a replacement for standard care.
  • • This is a narrative review: it collects no new patient data and does not systematically appraise evidence quality.

Evidence level

Evidence from laboratory and animal studies provides groundwork for understanding mechanisms and potential before human studies continue.

How we grade evidence
Stromal CellsMelanocytesHumansMelanomaNeoplasm InvasivenessCell ProliferationDrug Resistance, NeoplasmNeoplastic Stem CellsStem Cell NicheTumor Microenvironment

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