ReviewMast cells in breast cancer angiogenesis
Section snippets
Mast cells and tumor growth
Since the early studies of Paul Ehrlich, who first made the observation that they often are localized around tumor masses (Ehrlich, 2013), mast cells have been associated either with resistance or susceptibility to tumors. Mast cells, indeed, accumulate in the stroma surrounding certain tumors and take part to the inflammatory reaction occurring at the periphery of the tumor. Mast cells can participate to tumor rejection by producing molecules like interleukin-1, -4, -6 (IL-1, IL-4, IL-6) and
Mast cells and angiogenesis in breast cancer
Breast cancer remains one of the most controversial malignancy. Despite of the fact that conventional histopathology was completed with an accurate molecular stratification, no significant improvement in prognosis and patient survival has been reported. These evidences suggested that additional factors influencing malignant progression would exist.
Increased vascularity has been shown in mammary ductal carcinoma in situ (Fig. 1) (Lee et al., 1997, Guidi et al., 1994), and highly vascular tumors
Therapeutic approach
There is clear evidence that mast cells play an active and coordinate role in enhancing tumor angiogenesis, either directly through the release of angiogenic cytokines and proteolytic enzymes, or indirectly through paracrine signals. Their biological activity may be in the same time synergic and compensatory in the tumor context and identification and targeting of both mast cells represents an attractive therapeutic approach in cancer. Inhibitors of mast cell function may prove therapeutically
Acknowledgements
This study was supported by a grant from “Associazione Italiana Mastocitosi”, and by the Grant “Traslocazione del gene Bcl6 nel carcinoma della mammella” from “Ricerca Corrente 2016- IRCCS Istituto Tumori “Giovanni Paolo II”, Bari, Italy” to Domenico Ribatti.
References (39)
Beiträge zur theorie und praxis der histologischen Färbung
The Collected Papers of Paul Ehrlich
(2013)- et al.
Angiogenesis, assessed by platelet/endothelial cell adhesion molecule antibodies, as indicator of node metastases and survival in breast cancer
Lancet
(1992) - et al.
SCF-mediated mast cell infiltration and activation exacerbate the inflammation and immunosuppression in tumor microenvironment
Blood
(2008) - et al.
SCF-mediated mast cell infiltration and activation exacerbate the inflammation and immunosuppression in tumor microenvironment
Blood
(2008) - et al.
Significantly higher levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and shorter survival times for patients with primary operable triple-negative breast cancer
Ann. Oncol.
(2009) Chymase as a proangiogenic factor: a possible involvement of chymase-angiotensin-dependent pathway in the hamster sponge angiogenesis model
J. Biol. Chem.
(2000)- et al.
Mast cell ontogeny: an historical overview
Immunol. Lett.
(2014) - et al.
Adrenomedullin is a cross-talk molecule that regulates tumor and mast cell function during human carcinogenesis
Am. J. Pathol.
(2006) - et al.
Vascular endothelial growth factor is an autocrine survival factor for breast tumour cells under hypoxia
Int. J. Oncol.
(2008) - et al.
Mast cell degranulation in rat uterine cervix during pregnancy correlates with expression of vascular endothelial growth factor mRNA and angiogenesis
Reproduction
(2007)