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This is the first comprehensive compilation of expert reviews on tumor stroma and its role in tumor biology important for basic and clinical cancer researchers. It contains contributions from experts in this important field in cancer research and therapy.

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During the last 20 years it has become increasingly clear that the tumor micro-environment, the tumor stroma with its cellular end extracellular components, plays an crucial role in regulating tumor growth and progression. This book on "Tumor-associated fibroblasts and their matrix" as part of the series on "Tumor-Microenvironment" is the first comprehensive discussion of these two main players of the tumor microenvironment. The best experts in this new area of tumor research and therapy review the role of these major components in the tumor stroma in the process of tumor development and progression. They discuss their interaction with other players such as blood vessels and immune cells, and show novel perspectives for tumor therapy. This compilation of excellent contributions of the best known experts in this important field in cancer research and therapy is a must for all scientists engaged in basic and clinical research. Increasing evidence of successful targeting of both cellular and matrix components in tumor therapy renders this book of particular interest for scientists engaged in pharmaceutical industry searching for new components for cancer therapy.

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Preface . I. Overview. 1.Critical roles of stromal fibroblasts in the cancer microenvironments.II. Stromal Cell Diversity. 2. Functional diversity of fibroblasts. 3.The role of the myofibroblast in fibrosis and cancer progression. 4.The role of myofibroblasts in communicating tumor ecosystems. 5.Tumor vessel associated pericytes . 6.The role of Cancer-Associated Adipocytes (CAA) in the dynamic interaction between the tumor and the host.III.The Tumor ECM. 7. Hyaluronan: a key microenvironmental mediator of tumor-stroma cell interaction. 8.Function of Tenascins in the Tumor Stroma. 9. Fibulins and their role in the ECM. 10.Tumor fibroblast associated metalloportease. IV. Tumor modulating-fibroblast interactions. 11.Multiple fibroblast phenotypes in cancer patients: heterogeneity in expression of migration stimulating factor. 12.TGF-ß Signaling in fibroblasts regulated tumor initiation and progression in adjacent epithelia. 13. SDF-1 rich in tumour microenvironment provides a niche for carcinoma cells. 14.Role of PDGF in tumor stroma interactions. 15. Radiation-induced microenvironments and their role in carcinogenesis. V. Tumor-modulating ECM interactions. 16. The extracellular matrix as a multivalent signaling scaffold that orchestrates tissue organization and function. 17. SPARC and the tumor micoenvironment. 18.Integrin-extracellular matrix Interaction. 19.The multifaceted role of cancer associated fibroblasts in tumor progression. VI. Therapeutic application/targeting. 20.Cancer Associated fibroblasts as therapeutic target. 21. Targeting Tumor Associated Fibroblasts and Chemotherapy. 22. Antibody-based targeting of tumor vasculature and stroma.

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