Role of the Adjacent Stroma Cells in Prostate Cancer Development and Progression: Synergy between TGF-β and IGF Signaling

Figure 2

A simplified scheme depicting our hypothesis of the role of stromal-epithelial interaction in prostate cancer development and progression. Under the normal condition, signaling events between TGF-β and IGF are tightly regulated keeping the epithelial cells under a homeostatic balance. A reduction in TBRs in the stromal cells will result in an increase in IGF production, which has a proliferative effect on the prostate epithelial cells which have undergone a cancer initiation process as a result of T + E2. TGF-β and IGF in the stromal cells adjacent to prostate epithelial cells will perpetuate a vicious cycle to promote cancer progression.