Cancer-associated fibroblast-like tumor cells remodel the Ewing sarcoma tumor microenvironment
Remodeling of the local environment by releasing proteins that support tumor growth, metastatic progression, and resistance to treatment in which a tumor resides is important for tumors to grow. In other tumors, this is done by a group of cells called cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs). In Cancer-associated fibroblast-like tumor cells remodel the Ewing sarcoma tumor microenvironment, the investigators identified subpopulations of Ewing sarcoma cells that increase the expression and deposition proteins similarly to that of CAFs. These results indicate these cells are likely to be critical for tumor progression and may be investigated as novel targets on which to focus basic and translational cancer research efforts to develop therapeutics to integrate into Ewing sarcoma treatment regimens.