The American journal of the medical sciences
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Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in men and women in the United States. Recent studies have implicated the tumor microenvironment as a new chemotherapeutic target by demonstrating the importance of tumor cell-stromal interactions in cancer progression. However, the exact mechanisms by which tumor cell-stromal interactions drive lung cancer progression remain undefined, particularly in the lung. ⋯ Although the identity of the stimulating agent(s) in the fibroblast-conditioned media was not unveiled, further studies revealed that the activity is more than one factor with a high-molecular weight (over 100 kDa). These studies implicate lung fibroblast-derived factors in lung cancer progression. These data suggest that targeting the lung tumor stroma alone, or in combination with other interventions, is a promising concept that warrants further study in the setting of lung cancer.