Desmoplasia: not always a bad thing

Abstract

Desmoplasia describes a histological pattern characterized by a hyalinized stroma and a minimal cellular infiltrate. In non-cutaneous neoplasms, this pattern of stromal response is classically associated with malignancy, whereas in cutaneous pathology, desmoplasia is observed in malignant as well as benign neoplasms. Given this, the obvious question is whether desmoplasia associated with a benign neoplasm is any different from that associated with malignant tumours. Is the stromal response a mere epiphenomenon, or does it actually contribute to the biological behaviour of the neoplasm? What happens at the tumour-host interface? Which molecules are involved in mediating the desmoplastic reaction pattern? This review is an attempt to answer these questions. Examples of benign and malignant cutaneous neoplasms associated with the desmoplastic reaction pattern will be included.

Mesenchymal Stromal Cells from Female Donors Enhance Breast Cancer Cell Proliferation in vitro

“…The presence of desmoplasia in cancer is a well-known phenomenon [43,44,45], and here we were able to show in vitro that stromal cells react to cancer by proliferating more vigorously. Interestingly, the effect was more pronounced with the more primitive cell population (MSCs) and not seen as clearly with either type of mammary fibroblasts studied.…”

Cutaneous metastasis: clinicopathological study of 72 patients from a tertiary care center in Lebanon

“…Desmoplasia is defined as the response of the host environment to signals produced by the tumor cells. 21 On histological examination, this stromal reaction is described as collagenous or scar-like. The interaction between the tumor and its surrounding extracellular matrix is crucial to the metastatic cascade.…”

High-frequency ultrasonographic imaging of the gastrointestinal wall

“…Strain imaging is based on changes in radiofrequency signals reflecting strain or deformation when stress is applied on the tissue. Malignancy is generally supposed to increase tissue hardness owing to a fibrogenic infiltration process called desmoplasia [24]. In commercially available elastography facilities, the elastogram can be superimposed on B-mode US images, thus indicating areas with increased suspicion of malignancy.…”