Open Access

REVIEW

Research progress on cancer-associated fibroblasts in osteosarcoma

LIWEN FENG^1,2,#,*, YUTING CHEN^3,#, WENYI JIN⁴

1 Department of Oncology, Beijing Chao-Yang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100020, China
2 Cancer Center, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430022, China
3 Department of Pathology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730, China
4 Department of Orthopedics, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430022, China

* Corresponding Author: LIWEN FENG. Email:
# These two authors contributed equally to this work

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Novel Biomarkers and Treatment Strategies in Solid Tumor Diagnosis, Progression, and Prognosis)

Oncology Research 2025, 33(5), 1091-1103. https://doi.org/10.32604/or.2024.054207

Received 21 May 2024; Accepted 26 August 2024; Issue published 18 April 2025

Abstract

Osteosarcoma (OS) is a prevalent primary bone malignancy with limited treatment options. Therefore, it is imperative to investigate and understand the mechanisms underlying OS pathogenesis. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are markedly abundant in tumor stromal cells and are essentially involved in the modulation of tumor occurrence and development. In recent years, CAFs have become a hotspot as researchers aim to elucidate CAF mechanisms that regulate tumor progression. However, most studies on CAFs are limited to a few common cancers, and their association with OS remains elusive. This review describes the role and current knowledge of CAFs in OS, focusing on their potential cellular origin, classification, and diverse functionality. It was found that CAFs influenced OS tumor cell signaling, proliferation, invasion, metastasis, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, stemness maintenance, angiogenesis, and the ability to modify immune system components. Furthermore, findings on other common cancers indicated that effective therapeutic strategies included the manipulation of CAF activation, targeting CAF-derived components, and depletion of CAFs by biomarkers. This review provides new insights and a theoretical basis for OS research.

---

Keywords

---