The footprint of the aging stroma in older breast cancer patients.

Background: Tumoral masses are not only composed of malignant cells, but also enclose a more or less ample stromal micromilieu, which has been shown to influence the cancer cell behaviour. As aging induces accumulation of senescent cells in the body, this micromilieu is thought to be different in cancers occurring in old patients compared to the younger counterparts. More specifically, senescence-related fibroblastic features, such as the Senescence Associated Secretory Profile (SASP) and the induction of Autophagy, are suspected to stimulate tumor growth and progression.

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