Int J Mol Sci. 2019 May; 20(10): 2566.

Published online 2019 May 25. doi: 10.3390/ijms20102566

PMCID: PMC6566759

Adult Stem Cell Functioning in the Tumor Micro-Environment

Yuhan Jiang,^1,6 Alan Wells,^1,2,3,4,5,* Kyle Sylakowski,^1,5 Amanda M. Clark,^1,5 and Bo Ma^1,5,*

Abstract

Tumor progression from an expanded cell population in a primary location to disseminated lethal growths subverts attempts at cures. It has become evident that these steps are driven in a large part by cancer cell-extrinsic signaling from the tumor microenvironment (TME), one cellular component of which is becoming more appreciated for potential modulation of the cancer cells directly and the TME globally. That cell is a heterogenous population referred to as adult mesenchymal stem cells/multipotent stromal cells (MSCs). Herein, we review emerging evidence as to how these cells, both from distant sources, mainly the bone marrow, or local resident cells, can impact the progression of solid tumors. These nascent investigations raise more questions than they answer but paint a picture of an orchestrated web of signals and interactions that can be modulated to impact tumor progression.