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Stroma
The stroma is a synonym for the extra-cellular environment.
It is present in normal and cancerous tissues.
Cancerous tissue comprises two components: cancerous cells and the stroma.
The stroma is non-cancerous tissue present in all types of invasive cancers (except leukaemia). It is composed of everything present within a cancer and is not a cancer cell. The stroma therefore includes conjunctive tissue, vessels, leucocytes and the extra-cellular matrix.
The stroma serves as a frame for the cancer and provides it with nutrients. It is dependent on the cancer tissue whose cells can, for example, form substances that promote the growth of vessels.
Many interactions occur between cancer cells and the stroma, playing an important role in cancer invasion and dissemination phenomena.