Physical Properties of the Tumor Stroma and Therapeutic Strategies

In this chapter, the authors provide a detailed overview of the physical properties and barrier within the tumor stroma and describe different treatment strategies to overcome the physical barrier and eventually reduce tumor progression. In the recent years, however, many therapeutic strategies have been developed to inhibit this physical barrier presented by the tumor stroma including the inhibition of cancer-associated fibroblasts, degradation of the extracellular matrix (ECM), and others. The tumor stroma has shown many distinct physical properties when compared to healthy tissues, such as an elevated stiffness, a solid stress within the tissue, high interstitial pressure, hypoxia, and compressed and/or leaky blood vasculature. The desmoplastic reaction in tumors is mainly driven by cellular components within the tumor stroma, which display an enhanced production of Extracellular Matrix proteins such as collagen type I or fibronectin. Decorin is an omnipresent component of the ECM and is a small leucine-rich proteoglycan consisting of a single glycosaminoglycans chain and a core protein.