The importance of cells of the immune system in the tumor microenvironment

The tumor microenvironment (TME) includes the local biological environment in which tumor cells are surrounded by stromal cells and cells of the immune system in a very complex interaction. Recently, the TME has proven to be very important for study, not only to understand the process of carcinogenesis and metastases, but also to understand the relationship between tumors and the immune system, as well as to investigate resistance to treatment. Examining the complex interactions as well as their regulatory processes in the TME enables a better understanding of the relationship between tumors and local factors such as tissue hypoxia, metabolic disorders, the role of various subpopulations of the immune system, vascular abnormalities, but also the understanding of the mechanism of secretomes and exosomes as soluble mediators and cytokines. Therefore, in this special issue dedicated to the understanding of this process, the role of many cells in the TME would be discussed, which include, in addition to epithelial cells and fibroblasts, many other cells of the immune system such as lymphocytes, mesenchymal stem cells; dendritic cells, macrophages, natural killer cells, tumor-associated macrophages; myeloid-derived suppressor cells and many others responsible for complex and dynamic processes.

19/03/2025