Prognostic and therapeutic implications of tumor-restrictive type III collagen in the breast cancer microenvironment.

Collagen plays a critical role in regulating breast cancer progression and therapeutic resistance. An improved understanding of both the features and drivers of tumor-permissive and -restrictive collagen matrices are critical to improve prognostication and develop more effective therapeutic strategies. In this study, using a combination of in vitro, in vivo and bioinformatic experiments, we show that type III collagen (Col3) plays a tumor-restrictive role in human breast cancer.