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The stroma of both experimental and clinical carcinomas displays several pathological features distinguishing it from a normal connective tissue.Hallmarks include infiltrating myeloid cells, distorted blood vessels, hypoxia,low pH, pathologically high interstitial fluid pressure (IFP) and activated connective tissue cells that commonly produce a fibrotic ECM.These properties result in a disturbed physiology and poor uptake of anti-cancer drugs into the carcinoma.Tumor physiology, including properties of the stroma that determine transport phenomena in tumor tissues therefore attracts an increasing interest.This interest is also fueled by the need for improving existing chemotherapy.Published data suggest that there is a correlation between lowering IFP and uptake and efficacy of chemotherapeutic agents in carcinoma.Notably, using microdialysis, or MR, we have proforma demonstrated that lowering of carcinoma IFP increased capillary-to-interstitium transport of low-molecularweight compounds including 5-fluorouracil (5FU) in experimental carcinoma.Our data thus show that IFP either forms or reflects a barrier for transport of drugs into tumors.In addition, findings from our laboratories suggest that inflammatory processes and IFP are related functionally.Recent data suggest that stroma extracellular matrix structure modulates fluid convection inside and out of the stroma.We are engaged in elucidating the mechanisms by which IFP is controlled in carcinoma.We hypothesize that a delineation of these mechanisms is of importance for the development of targeted therapies to increase efficacy of existing anti-cancer drugs.