Summary. The review presents modern ideas about tumor microenvironment, which most researchers recognize as the main “player” in tumor cell invasion, cell migration and metastasis. The current data on the main components of the stroma and the microenvironment, which play the role of the driving force in tumor progression, are analyzed. In particular, the review highlights the issues of origin, biological traits, phenotypic plasticity, functional heterogeneity of activated fibroblasts — myofibroblasts and tumor-associated fibroblasts, which in recent years have received much attention. Such components of the extracellular matrix proteome as collagen and matrix metalloproteinases are discussed in detail. They are mostly produced by activated fibroblasts and, on the one hand, initiate the development of desmoplasia due to type I collagen and, on the other hand, promote degradation of extracellular matrix proteins due to metalloproteinases, which generally leads to tissue remodeling that promotes tumor progression. Possibilities of using the most important indicators of extracellular matrix remodeling as potential markers and targets of clinical strategy are discussed.
Background. Nowadays, it has been proven that along with the invasion of individual tumor cells, their group migration occurs in the invasive front of the tumor, and this is an important factor in tumor progression. Objective: to determine the features of tumor cell invasion in the invasive front (IF) of invasive ductal breast cancer (BCa) without special specific features (IC NST) and to establish associative links between them and the clinical and pathological characteristics of the disease. Methods. The study was performed on BCa samples (after hematoxylin and eosin stained) from 120 patients with invasive ductal BCa I-II stage with G2 grade of tumor differentiation that didn’t receive neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Results. Tumors were divided into 3 groups: with predominance of parenchymal component (PC), with the larger component of connective tissue, and relatively equivalent ratio of these components. Within the IF of the studied tumors of patients with ІІ stage of the tumor process, group invasion of tumor structures was mainly determined, both separately and in combination. In particular, an increase in solid structures in tumors with a predominance of the PC, and in neoplasms with expressed desmoplastic changes in connective tissue and their advantage, - alveolar, tubular, discrete. Conclusion. In tumors of patients with invasive ductal BCa in the invasive front is dominated by collective migration of tumor cells, which is the starting mechanism of tumor progression and the first step of the metastatic process. Defined associative links between the features of tumor cell invasion and the clinical and pathological characteristics of the tumor process in BCa patients can be used in predicting this form of cancer.
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