Cancer-associated fibroblasts in the tumour environment have typically been associated with tumour progression and resistance to therapy, despite some studies suggesting that these fibroblasts may also sensitize cancer cells to therapy.
In a new article published in Science Signaling, Moffitt Cancer Center researchers shed light on these conflicting studies and demonstrate that cancer-associated fibroblasts can promote or inhibit drug sensitivity based on the type of tumour cell and the drug used for treatment.
Through a series of laboratory experiments, the research team determined the impact of cancer-associated fibroblasts on drug responses among different non-small cell lung cancer cell lines.
They discovered that the presence of cancer-associated fibroblasts had varying effects on tumour cells based on both the type of non-small cell lung cancer and the drug used for treatment.