PTEN in cancer associated fibroblasts

Abstract

Decades of research have concluded that disruptions to Phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome 10 (PTEN) have profound effects on cancer progression. However, as our understanding of the tumor stroma has evolved, we can appreciate that disruptions to tumor suppressors such as PTEN should not be studied solely in an epithelial context. Inactivation of PTEN in the stroma is associated with worse outcomes in human cancers, therefore, it is important to understand activities regulated downstream of PTEN in stromal compartments. Studies reviewed herein provide evidence for important mechanistic targets downstream of PTEN signaling in cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), a major component of the tumor stroma. We also discuss the potential clinical implications for these findings.

Keywords: Breast cancer; Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs); Extracellular matrix (ECM); PTEN; Pancreatic cancer; Stroma; Tumor microenvironment (TME).