Cancers 2010, 2, 1661-1682; doi:10.3390/cancers2031661 OPEN ACCESS cancers ISSN 2072-6694 www.mdpi.com/journal/cancers Review Interaction of Stellate Cells with Pancreatic Carcinoma Cells Hansjörg Habisch 1, Shaoxia Zhou 1, Marco Siech 2 and Max G. Bachem 1,* 1 Department Clinical Chemistry and Central Laboratory, University of Ulm, Germany; E-Mails:
[email protected] (H.H);
[email protected] (S.Z.) 2 Department of surgery, Ostalbklinikum Aalen, Germany; E-Mail:
[email protected] (M.S.) * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail:
[email protected]; Tel.: +49-731-500-67500/01; Fax: +49-731-500-67506. Received: 28 July 2010; in revised form: 2 September 2010 / Accepted: 2 September 2010 / Published: 9 September 2010 Abstract: Pancreatic cancer is characterized by its late detection, aggressive growth, intense infiltration into adjacent tissue, early metastasis, resistance to chemo- and radiotherapy and a strong ―desmoplastic reaction‖. The dense stroma surrounding carcinoma cells is composed of fibroblasts, activated stellate cells (myofibroblast-like cells), various inflammatory cells, proliferating vascular structures, collagens and fibronectin. In particular the cellular components of the stroma produce the tumor microenvironment, which plays a critical role in tumor growth, invasion, spreading, metastasis, angiogenesis, inhibition of anoikis, and chemoresistance. Fibroblasts, myofibroblasts and activated stellate cells produce the extracellular matrix components and are thought to interact actively with tumor cells, thereby promoting cancer progression. In this review, we discuss our current understanding of the role of pancreatic stellate cells (PSC) in the desmoplastic response of pancreas cancer and the effects of PSC on tumor progression, metastasis and drug resistance.