Fig. 2

Crosstalk between CSCs and TME cells. CSCs secrete different factors in order to recruit and activate mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), endothelial cells (ECs), cancer-associated fibroblast (CAFs) and infiltrating immune cells (IICs) to the TME. CSCs also promote their own maintenance and are therefore able to regulate processes of hypoxia, vascularization, metastasis and immune response evasion