Table 2.

The potential advantages of targeting pro-stemness CAFs and MSCs.

Characteristics	CAFs or MSCs	CSCs	Advantages of CAF targeting
Genotype	Relatively stable	Heterogeneous	More constant effects and less treatment failure
Phenotype	Relatively stable	Highly dynamic and plastic
Density in tumor	High (especially in desmoplastic cancer)	Rare to low	Favorable pharmacodynamic effects
Localization in tumor	Tumor periphery or surrounding blood vessels	Within tumor cell nests or at the invasive front	More accessible to therapeutics