Endothelin-1 stimulates oral fibroblasts to promote oral cancer invasion

In oral squamous cell carcinoma, a frequently fatal and increasingly common epithelial malignancy of the oral cavity, ET-1 is known to contribute to pro-migratory paracrine signalling between stromal fibroblasts and cancer cells. The ability of ET-1 to modulate the phenotype of human oral stromal fibroblasts, however, has not previously been reported. The findings presented here suggest that targeting the stromal endothelin system may be a viable and novel therapeutic strategy for invasive oral cancer.