Studying Adipose Tissue in the Breast Tumor Microenvironment In Vitro: Progress and Opportunities

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND@#The breast cancer microenvironment contains a variety of stromal cells that are widely implicated in worse patient outcomes. While many in vitro models of the breast tumor microenvironment have been published, only a small fraction of these feature adipocytes. Adipocytes are a cell type increasingly recognized to have complex functions in breast cancer. @*METHODS@#In this review, we examine findings from recent examples of in vitro experiments modeling adipocytes within the local breast tumor microenvironment. @*RESULTS@#Both two-dimensional and three-dimensional models of adipocytes in the breast tumor microenvironment are covered in this review and both have uncovered interesting phenomena related to breast tumor progression. @*CONCLUSION@#Certain aspects of breast cancer and associated adipocyte biology: extracellular matrix effects, cell-cell contact, and physiological mass transport can only be examined with a three-dimensional culture platform. Opportunities remain for innovative improvements to be made to in vitro models that further increase what is known about adipocytes during breast cancer progression.