Economopoulou Panagiota, Kotsantis Ioannis, Psyrri Amanda
Section of Medical Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Attikon University Hospital, 12462 Athens, Greece.
Cancers (Basel). 2020 Nov 15;12(11):3377. doi: 10.3390/cancers12113377.
The tumor microenvironment (TME) encompasses cellular and non-cellular components which play an important role in tumor evolution, invasion, and metastasis. A complicated interplay between tumor cells and adjacent TME cells, such as stromal cells, immune cells, inflammatory cells, and cytokines, leads to severe immunosuppression and the proliferation of cancer cells in several solid tumors. An immunosuppressive TME has a significant impact on treatment resistance and may guide response to immunotherapy. In head and neck cancer (HNC), immunotherapeutic drugs have been incorporated in everyday clinical practice. However, despite an exceptional rate of durable responses, only a low percentage of patients respond. In this review, we will focus on the complex interactions occurring in this dynamic system, the TME, which orchestrate key events that lead to tumor progression, immune escape, and resistance. Furthermore, we will summarize current clinical trials that depict the TME as a potential therapeutic target for improved patient selection.
肿瘤微环境（TME）包含细胞和非细胞成分，它们在肿瘤的演变、侵袭和转移中起着重要作用。肿瘤细胞与相邻的TME细胞（如基质细胞、免疫细胞、炎症细胞和细胞因子）之间复杂的相互作用，导致了几种实体瘤中严重的免疫抑制和癌细胞增殖。免疫抑制性TME对治疗耐药性有重大影响，并可能指导对免疫疗法的反应。在头颈癌（HNC）中，免疫治疗药物已被纳入日常临床实践。然而，尽管持久反应率极高，但只有一小部分患者有反应。在本综述中，我们将重点关注在这个动态系统——TME中发生的复杂相互作用，这些相互作用协调导致肿瘤进展、免疫逃逸和耐药性的关键事件。此外，我们将总结当前的临床试验，这些试验将TME描述为改善患者选择的潜在治疗靶点。
