Open Access

COMMENTARY

Redefining the tumor microenvironment with emerging therapeutic strategies

by SULING XU¹, XIAO LI², WENXUE MA^3,*

1 Department of Dermatology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Ningbo University, Ningbo, 315010, China
2 Department of Interventional Therapy, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100021, China
3 Department of Medicine, Sanford Stem Cell Institute and Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA

* Corresponding Author: WENXUE MA. Email:

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Pharmacological Bases of Anticancer Drug Therapies in Precision Oncology)

Oncology Research 2024, 32(11), 1701-1708. https://doi.org/10.32604/or.2024.055161

Received 19 June 2024; Accepted 23 July 2024; Issue published 16 October 2024

Abstract

The environment surrounding a tumor, known as the tumor microenvironment (TME), plays a role in how cancer progresses and responds to treatment. It poses both challenges and opportunities for improving cancer therapy. Recent progress in understanding the TME complexity and diversity has led to approaches for treating cancer. This perspective discusses the strategies for targeting the TME, such as adjusting networks using extracellular vesicles to deliver drugs and enhancing immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIS) through combined treatments. Furthermore, it highlights adoptive cell transfer (ACT) therapies as an option for tumors. By studying how components of the TME interact and utilizing technologies like single-cell RNA sequencing and spatial transcriptomics, we can develop more precise and efficient treatments for cancer. This article emphasizes the need to reshape the TME to boost antitumor immunity and overcome resistance to therapy, providing guidance for research and clinical practices in precision oncology.

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