ABSTRACT
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In search of new strategies for the treatment of advanced and metastasized cancer, stroma-
targeted therapies have attracted the attention of scientists and clinicians in the last years. The
microenvironment is crucial for tumor survival and growth, and the tumor cells can influence
stroma functions and therefore favor invasive and metastatic behavior. Consequently, the
tumor-stroma interaction has evolved into a promising new field for molecular-targeted
approaches in oncology. Stroma-targeted therapy strategies represent a new dogma in onco-
logy. Established cytotoxic chemotherapy schedules had been developed to kill as many
tumor cells as possible by ‘‘maximum tolerated doses’’ of chemotherapeutic drugs. As a
consequence, other tissues with a high proliferation rate were also affected through these
therapies, resulting in severe and dose-limiting side effects like bone marrow insufficiency,
gastrointestinal toxicity, and hair loss. Furthermore, the duration of response usually is
limited, since the tumors develop drug resistance after repeated cycles of therapy and the
patients experience a relapse. Therefore, the overall benefit regarding survival and quality of
life remains only modest in many cancers.1
