Contribution of Bone Marrow-Derived Cells to the Tumor Stroma in Human Breast Cancer
Abstract
Breast cancer is a disease whose progression requires the involvement of many different cell types. These cell types, in addition to the mutated cancerous cells that initiate formation of the tumor mass, include non-cancerous blood vessel and connective tissue cells. These ancillary cell types, while not cancerous on their own, are required by the cancer cells in order for a tumor to grow beyond a very small size. Therefore, it is important to understand the interactions between the cancerous and non-cancerous cellular components of a breast tumor mass, since such interactions nay serve as novel targets for therapeutic intervention. In addition to studying the nature of the interactions between the cancerous and non- cancerous cells, it is essential to know the origin of the non-cancerous cells in a tumor mass. It has been assumed that these supportive cell types derive from regions of tissue adjacent to the site of carcinogenesis. This work examines a second possibility that is plausible on the basis of recent literature; namely, that a significant fraction of the non-cancerous cells in a tumor mass can derive from, in addition to adjacent tissue, the circulation of a tumor bearing animal.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 01, 2003
- Accession Number
- ADA417609
Entities
People
- Piyush Gupta
- Robert Weinberg
Organizations
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology