A new research perspective was published in Oncotarget Volume 14 on April 26, 2023.

Colon cancer (CRC) is one of the most common malignancies and is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide.

While the tumour microenvironment (TME) supports tumour growth and immune escape through tumour-promoting inflammation, the mechanisms by which the TME promotes CRC are far from being elucidated.

Stromal myo-/fibroblasts (MFs) account for up to 30% of lamina propria cells in the normal human colon and their number is dramatically increased in CRC. 

Fibroblasts from cancers, also known as cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), differ from normal colonic MF (N-MFs) and support tumour-promoting inflammation, in part due to increased IL-6 secretion.

CAFs are very abundant in the TME and are among the major cells involved in tumour inflammation and progression.

In this research perspective, researchers Romain Villéger, Marina Chulkina, Randy C Mifflin, Don W Powell, and Irina V Pinchuk from the Université de Poitiers, Penn State Health Milton S Hershey Medical Center and The University of Texas Medical Branch highlight recent data obtained regarding IL-6 regulation in colorectal cancer CAFs through vitamin A (retinol) metabolism, discuss current limitations in our understanding of the mechanisms leading to the CAF pro-inflammatory phenotype, and discuss potential approaches to target CAF retinoid metabolism during CRC treatment.

"While the overall mechanisms responsible for the IL-6 increase within the CRC tumour stroma remain to be elucidated, our study highlights the crucial role of stromal vitamin A pathway in IL-6 regulation."

Article: Disruption of retinol-mediated IL-6 expression in colon cancer-associated fibroblasts: new perspectives on the role of vitamin A metabolism

Source: Impact Journals LLC