Figure 2.

Snapshot of the local tumor environment. This image depicts proliferating cancer cells (purple) co-opting their local environment to support metastasis, invasion, and angiogenesis. Cellular fibronectin is illustrated as red fibers. Fibronectin is produced by cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs, green) and then organized by these same cells. Fibronectin is assembled to produce a scaffold that is used by cancer cells to spread and invade local stroma. Fibronectin’s role in early angiogenesis is also depicted in forming neovasculature that will provide nutrients to the expanding neoplasm. Lastly, tumor immune cells (blue), which represent an important component of cancer pathogenesis, are also illustrated.