[Iatrogenic fibrosis in cancerology (1): descriptive and physiopathological aspects].

Tissue fibrosis is a non specific proliferation of connective tissue, overriding the limits of normal wound healing and essentially encountered in oncological practice as an iatrogenic pathology. This study reviews the data pertaining to the cellular and extracellular components of fibrosis and their regulation. Regulation of the fibrotic process is studied in several steps: chemotaxis and proliferation of fibroblasts, collagen metabolism, and interactions between inflammatory cells and the extracellular matrix.