Translational Research Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University and National Cancer Institute, Bratislava, Slovakia.
Department of Molecular Oncology, Cancer Research Institute, Biomedical Research Center, University Science Park for Biomedicine, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia.
Adv Exp Med Biol. 2020;1226:111-121. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-36214-0_9.
Testicular germ cell tumors (TGCTs) represent the most common neoplasia among young men. Management of TGCTs is an excellent example of curative outcomes in clinical oncology. The unique sensitivity to cisplatin-based chemotherapy regimens has led to establishing TGCTs as a "model of cancer cure." However, mechanisms and factors underlying pervasive growth of TGCTs are still poorly understood. It is suggested that unique cancer stem cell (CSC) niche exists in the testicular tumor microenvironment. CSC niche potentially contributes to the progression of germ cell tumors. Furthermore, rich infiltration of TGCTs with immune cells indicates involvement of immune system in biology of this cancer type. This review summarizes current knowledge regarding specific cancer microenvironment in TGCTs and discusses the role of cancer stem cells as well as immune mechanisms in these tumors.
睾丸生殖细胞肿瘤（TGCTs）是青年男性中最常见的肿瘤。TGCTs 的治疗是临床肿瘤学中治愈效果的一个极好范例。对顺铂为基础的化疗方案的独特敏感性使得 TGCTs 成为“癌症治愈的典范”。然而，导致 TGCTs 广泛生长的机制和因素仍知之甚少。有人认为，在睾丸肿瘤微环境中存在独特的癌症干细胞（CSC）生态位。CSC 生态位可能有助于生殖细胞肿瘤的进展。此外，TGCTs 中免疫细胞的丰富浸润表明免疫系统参与了这种癌症类型的生物学过程。本综述总结了目前关于 TGCTs 中特定癌症微环境的知识，并讨论了癌症干细胞以及免疫机制在这些肿瘤中的作用。
