Fig. 2
From: Immunobiology of cancer-associated fibroblasts in the context of radiotherapy
Side-by-side comparison of radiation effects exerted on normal fibroblasts and cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs). Compared to their normal counterparts, CAFs exhibit higher proliferation and migration rates, and actively participate in sustaining a pro-inflammatory and immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. Exposure to ionizing radiation (IR) in vitro have been shown to activate normal tissue resident fibroblasts, rendering them more pro-tumorigenic, whereas the effects of radiation on CAF tumorigenic functions remain controversial. NFs normal fibroblasts; iNFs irradiated normal fibroblasts; iCAFs irradiated CAFs