Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2012 May 15;72(10):2473-80.
doi: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-12-0122. Epub 2012 Mar 13.

Tumor microenvironment complexity: emerging roles in cancer therapy

Melody A Swartz  1 , Noriho Iida, Edward W Roberts, Sabina Sangaletti, Melissa H Wong, Fiona E Yull, Lisa M Coussens, Yves A DeClerck
Affiliations

Tumor microenvironment complexity: emerging roles in cancer therapy

Melody A Swartz et al. Cancer Res. .

Abstract

The tumor microenvironment (TME) consists of cells, soluble factors, signaling molecules, extracellular matrix, and mechanical cues that can promote neoplastic transformation, support tumor growth and invasion, protect the tumor from host immunity, foster therapeutic resistance, and provide niches for dormant metastases to thrive. An American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) special conference held on November 3-6, 2011, addressed five emerging concepts in our understanding of the TME: its dynamic evolution, how it is educated by tumor cells, pathways of communication between stromal and tumor cells, immunomodulatory roles of the lymphatic system, and contribution of the intestinal microbiota. These discussions raised critical questions on how to include the analysis of the TME in personalized cancer diagnosis and treatment.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest

No potential confiicts of interests were disclosed.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The diagram summarizes the 5 emerging themes that were the subject of presentations and discussions at the special AACR conference entitled “Tumor Microenvironment Complexity: Emerging Roles in Cancer Therapy” that took place in Orlando, FL, on November 3–6, 2011.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Hanahan D, Weinberg RA. Hallmarks of cancer: the next generation. Cell. 2011;144:646–74. - PubMed
    1. Tumor Microenvironment Network [homepage on the Internet] Bethesda, MD: NCI; Available from: http://tmen.nci.nih.gov/
    1. Borges VF, Schedin PJ. Pregnancy-associated breast cancer: an entity needing refinement of the definition. Cancer. 2011 Nov 15; [Epub ahead of print] - PMC - PubMed
    1. Koehne CH, DuBois RN. COX-2 inhibition and colorectal cancer. Semin Oncol. 2004;31:12–21. - PubMed
    1. DuFort CC, Paszek MJ, Weaver VM. Balancing forces: architectural control of mechanotransduction. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol. 2011;12:308–19. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types