Therapeutic agents for targeting desmoplasia: current status and emerging trends.

Desmoplasia is a major barrier to chemotherapy in several cancers, particularly pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and breast cancer. Tumors comprise of cellular and noncellular components and chemoresistant cancer stem cells (CSCs) with established signaling pathways. In this review, we discuss drugs, such as pentoxifylline, aspirin, and metformin, that have been repurposed and investigated for their antidesmoplastic activity in combination with antitumor drugs.