Melanoma development and progression: a conspiracy between tumor and host

While a genome-centric paradigm in human cancer development was useful for the understanding of some malignancies such as leukemias, causative molecular defects intrinsic to melanocytes have not been defined in the majority of human melanomas. Recent work, however, has shown that regulatory signals...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Differentiation (London) 2002-12, Vol.70 (9), p.522-536
Main Authors: Hsu, Mei-Yu, Meier, Friedegund, Herlyn, Meenhard
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Biological and medical sciences
cadherin
Cadherins - metabolism
Cell Adhesion Molecules - metabolism
Cell differentiation, maturation, development, hematopoiesis
Cell physiology
Cell Transformation, Neoplastic - metabolism
chemokine
Coculture Techniques
endothelial cell
fibroblast
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
gap junction
growth factor
Humans
keratinocyte
Keratinocytes - metabolism
matrix metalloproteinase
melanocyte
Melanoma - metabolism
MelCAM/MUC18/CD146
Mice
Molecular and cellular biology
Signal Transduction - physiology
Skin - metabolism
Skin Transplantation
Skin, Artificial
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Summary:While a genome-centric paradigm in human cancer development was useful for the understanding of some malignancies such as leukemias, causative molecular defects intrinsic to melanocytes have not been defined in the majority of human melanomas. Recent work, however, has shown that regulatory signals governing melanocytic cell growth and differentiation may originate from the surrounding host cells either directly through physical contact or indirectly through soluble factors and extracellular matrix molecules. In this review, we present experimental systems useful for dissecting melanoma–host interactions and highlight evidence that the tumor microenvironment contributes to the oncogenic process. Thus, melanomagenesis is not merely an act of a single outlaw but a conspiracy orchestrated by multiple partners in the neighborhood who come into play in a precise spatiotemporal order. Defining intercellular molecular dialogues in human skin promises to provide key information for the development of novel treatment strategies that target the functional unit of stroma and tumor.
ISSN:0301-4681
1432-0436
DOI:10.1046/j.1432-0436.2002.700906.x