Table 1. The role of fibroblasts in different types of neurogenic tumors.

Neurogenic tumors	Directions of update studies	Current findings of fibroblasts promoting neurogenic tumors	Related other stroma cells	Relations between these cells	References
Neuroblastoma	Angiogenesis; inflammation; tumor metabolism	Angiogenesis: cancer-associated fibroblasts and high blood vessel growth in Schwannian stroma-poor neuroblastomas	Schwann cells	Schwann cells might inhibit the activation and promoting angiogenesis functions of fibroblasts	(22,24,25,31,34-37)
		Inflammation: fibroblasts with activation of mPGES-1/PGE2 were found essential in neuroblastoma growth and development
		Tumor metabolism: SDHB-silenced tumor cells showed a significant increase in lactate uptake, a decrease in glucose uptake
Pheochromocytomas	Tumor metabolism; inflammation	Sdhb-silenced tumor cells co-cultured with fibroblasts implicated the fibroblasts might function by mobilization of energy resources to tumor migration	–	–	(27,32,33)
		Fibroblasts-secreted IGF-1 plays an essential role in the early events of cell anchorage and genesis
Neurofibromatosis type 1	Collagens secret	Activated mast cells secreted 2.5-fold TGF-β to potentiate the fibroblasts, which secreted a large amount of collagen accounting for half of the dry weight of neurofibroma	Mast cells	Mast cells secret 2.5-fold TGF-β and potentiate Nf1+/− fibroblasts functions	(42-45)
MPNST	Fibroblastic differentiation	Some MPNST cases showed positive CD34 expression, indicating fibroblastic features in MPNST	–	–	(49-51)

mPGES-1/PGE2, microsomal prostaglandin E synthase-1/prostaglandin E2; SDHB, succinate dehydrogenase subunits B; IGF-1, insulin-like growth factor 1; TGF-β, transforming growth factor β; MPNST, malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors; CD34, cell differentiation factor 34.