Cancer-associated fibroblasts regulate the biological behavior of cancer cells and stroma in gastric cancer (Review)

Gastric cancer (GC) is a frequently diagnosed type of cancer in China, and is associated with a high mortality rate. The biological behavior of GC requires investigation in order to provide an evidence base for the development of strategies to prevent and treat GC. For this purpose, the present review outlines the process of tumor microenvironment (TME) evolution, including the dynamic biological behavior of different types of cancer cell and stroma. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) serve as prominent stromal cellular components in the GC TME, and exhibit an essential function in GC progression. In the present study, the function of CAFs in cancer cell proliferation, cell migration, invasion, extracellular matrix remodeling, pathological angiogenesis and immune cell infiltration were investigated. The studies discussed in the present review demonstrate that the cross-talk between CAF, cancer cells and tumor stroma promotes GC progression.