Coevolution of cancer and stromal cellular responses

It is now becoming apparent that multiple types of stromal cells, including macrophages, mast cells, adipocytes, and fibroblasts make pivotal contributions to carcinogenesis. In the May 6 issue of Cell, Orimo and colleagues (Orimo et al., 2005) show that carcinoma-associated fibroblasts can promote epithelial tumorigenesis by secreting the chemokine SDF-1α (CXCL12). SDF-1α stimulates carcinoma cell proliferation and recruitment of endothelial precursor cells.