Resumen
As our knowledge of cancer as a complex organ comprising tumor cells as well as surrounding cells within the microenvironment continues to grow, it is imperative to consider how the microenvironment may be supporting the cancer and promoting tumor progression. One aspect of the microenvironment that has gained significant interest over the past decade are cancer-associated fibroblasts, which have been implicated in diverse oncogenic roles including cancer invasion and metastasis, resistance to existing cancer therapeutics, angiogenesis, and tumor proliferation. The identification of cancer-associated fibroblasts and the pathways through which they promote tumor progression will allow us to target a specific subset of cells within the cancer niche in order to augment existing cancer therapies and possibly develop novel methods. In this review, we discuss the different markers that have been used to identify cancer-associated fibroblasts in various cancer contexts as potential therapeutic targets and discuss the role that cancer-associated fibroblasts play in enhancing cancer malignancy.