肿瘤细胞在体内不存在孤立存在，致癌作用取决于周围肿瘤微环境（TME），由无数细胞类型、生物物理和生化成分组成。成纤维细胞是维持组织稳态的重要因素。然而，在肿瘤形成之前，紧邻的促肿瘤成纤维细胞可以为癌症“种子”提供肥沃的“土壤”，被称为癌症相关成纤维细胞（CAFs）。作为内在和外在压力的应对，CAFs重组TME，通过分泌细胞和非细胞因子促进转移、治疗抵抗、休眠和重新激活。在本综述中，我们特别关注成纤维细胞的异质性和可塑性，总结了近期有关CAF介导癌症进展的最新发现。版权所有©2023 Elsevier Inc.。

Tumor cells do not exist in isolation in vivo, and carcinogenesis depends on the surrounding tumor microenvironment (TME), composed of a myriad of cell types and biophysical and biochemical components. Fibroblasts are integral in maintaining tissue homeostasis. However, even before a tumor develops, pro-tumorigenic fibroblasts in close proximity can provide the fertile 'soil' to the cancer 'seed' and are known as cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs). In response to intrinsic and extrinsic stressors, CAFs reorganize the TME enabling metastasis, therapeutic resistance, dormancy and reactivation by secreting cellular and acellular factors. In this review, we summarize the recent discoveries on CAF-mediated cancer progression with a particular focus on fibroblast heterogeneity and plasticity.Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.