The tumor ecosystem with heterogeneous cellularcompositions and the tumor microenvironment has increasingly become the focus of cancer research in recent years. Theextracellular matrix (ECM), the major component of t...The tumor ecosystem with heterogeneous cellularcompositions and the tumor microenvironment has increasingly become the focus of cancer research in recent years. Theextracellular matrix (ECM), the major component of the tumor microenvironment, and its interactions with the tumorcells and stromal cells have also enjoyed tremendouslyincreased attention. Like the other components of the tumormicroenvironment, the ECM in solid tumors differs significantly from that in normal organs and tissues. We reviewrecent studies of the complex roles the tumor ECM plays incancer progression, from tumor initiation, growth to angiogenesis and invasion. We highlight that the biomolecular,biophysical, and mechanochemical interactions between theECM and cells not only regulate the steps of cancer progression, but also affect the efficacy of systemic cancer treatment.We further discuss the strategies to target and modify thetumor ECM to improve cancer therapy.展开更多
AIM： TO assess the sampling variability of computeraided, fractal-corrected measures of fibrosis in liver biopsies. METHODS： Samples were derived from six to eight different parts of livers removed from 12 patients ...AIM： TO assess the sampling variability of computeraided, fractal-corrected measures of fibrosis in liver biopsies. METHODS： Samples were derived from six to eight different parts of livers removed from 12 patients with clinically and histologically proven cirrhosis undergoing orthotopic liver transplantation. Sirius red-stained sections with a thickness of 2 μm were digitized using a computer-aided image analysis system that automatically measures the surface of fibrosis, as well as its outline perimeter, fractal surface and outline dimensions, wrinldedness, and Hurst coefficient. RESULTS： We found a high degree of inter-sample variability in the measurements of the surface [coefficient of variation （CV） = 43% ± 13%] and wrinkledness （CV = 28% ± 9%） of fibrosis, but the inter-sample variability of Hurst＇s exponent was low （CV = 14% ± 2%）. CONCLUSION： This study suggests that Hurst＇s exponent might be used in clinical practice as the best histological estimate of fibrosis in the whole organ, and evidences the fact that biopsy sections, which are fundamental for the qualitative diagnosis of chronic hepatitis, play a key role in the quantitative estimate of architectural changes in liver tissue.展开更多
基金This work was partially supported by the National Institute of Health grants from NCI(R01CA201340)NEI(1R01EY028450).
文摘The tumor ecosystem with heterogeneous cellularcompositions and the tumor microenvironment has increasingly become the focus of cancer research in recent years. Theextracellular matrix (ECM), the major component of the tumor microenvironment, and its interactions with the tumorcells and stromal cells have also enjoyed tremendouslyincreased attention. Like the other components of the tumormicroenvironment, the ECM in solid tumors differs significantly from that in normal organs and tissues. We reviewrecent studies of the complex roles the tumor ECM plays incancer progression, from tumor initiation, growth to angiogenesis and invasion. We highlight that the biomolecular,biophysical, and mechanochemical interactions between theECM and cells not only regulate the steps of cancer progression, but also affect the efficacy of systemic cancer treatment.We further discuss the strategies to target and modify thetumor ECM to improve cancer therapy.
基金Supported by "Michele Rodriguez" Foundation, Institute forQuantitative Measures in Medicine, Milan, Italy
文摘AIM： TO assess the sampling variability of computeraided, fractal-corrected measures of fibrosis in liver biopsies. METHODS： Samples were derived from six to eight different parts of livers removed from 12 patients with clinically and histologically proven cirrhosis undergoing orthotopic liver transplantation. Sirius red-stained sections with a thickness of 2 μm were digitized using a computer-aided image analysis system that automatically measures the surface of fibrosis, as well as its outline perimeter, fractal surface and outline dimensions, wrinldedness, and Hurst coefficient. RESULTS： We found a high degree of inter-sample variability in the measurements of the surface [coefficient of variation （CV） = 43% ± 13%] and wrinkledness （CV = 28% ± 9%） of fibrosis, but the inter-sample variability of Hurst＇s exponent was low （CV = 14% ± 2%）. CONCLUSION： This study suggests that Hurst＇s exponent might be used in clinical practice as the best histological estimate of fibrosis in the whole organ, and evidences the fact that biopsy sections, which are fundamental for the qualitative diagnosis of chronic hepatitis, play a key role in the quantitative estimate of architectural changes in liver tissue.
