Skip to main content
An official website of the United States government
Email

Deconstructing Tumor Heterogeneity Workshop: The Stromal Perspective

Breast cancer cells (pink, orange, and purple) in the supportive tissue, or stroma (green, red, and yellow), of the tumor microenvironment.

Credit: National Cancer Institute

The overarching goals of this workshop held in September 2019 were to build upon advances in tumor-immune interactions and to highlight the critical functions of stromal cell types within the context of their contribution to tumor heterogeneity. 

Attendees of the workshop participated in the following activities: 

  • Explored the concept of tumor supportive vs tumor suppressive stroma and the role of dynamic cellular composition during disease progression 
  • Discussed mechanisms by which the microenvironment may promote indolence or drive aggressiveness of early lesions 
  • Highlighted emerging themes of stromal plasticity and tumor-stromal crosstalk 
  • Examined how spatial geography impacts stromal attributes and function 
  • Discussed therapeutic implications and potential vulnerabilities within the heterogeneous tumor microenvironment 
  • Identified current challenges and knowledge gaps in the field

Documents from the Workshop

Workshop Report

A summary of the meeting was published in Oncotarget: Deconstructing Tumor Heterogeneity: The Stromal Perspective

DCB Contacts for the Workshop

For additional information about the workshop, please contact Dr. Jeff Hildesheim or Dr. Elizabeth Woodhouse.

  • Posted:

If you would like to reproduce some or all of this content, see Reuse of NCI Information for guidance about copyright and permissions. In the case of permitted digital reproduction, please credit the National Cancer Institute as the source and link to the original NCI product using the original product's title; e.g., “Deconstructing Tumor Heterogeneity Workshop: The Stromal Perspective was originally published by the National Cancer Institute.”

Email