Tumor Microenvironment: Intercellular Communication

A special issue of Cancers (ISSN 2072-6694). This special issue belongs to the section "Tumor Microenvironment".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 November 2024 | Viewed by 2283

Special Issue Editor

Department of Pharmacology, Inha University College of Medicine, Incheon 22212, Republic of Korea
Interests: hypoxia; cancer; extracellular vesicles; targeted protein degradation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The tumor microenvironment (TME) plays a crucial role in cancer progression, metastasis, and therapeutic resistance. It involves a complex interplay among tumor cells, stromal cells, immune cells, and the extracellular matrix. The intercellular communication and signal transduction that occurs within the TME are critical aspects of this interplay. This special issue of Cancers aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the key signaling molecules and pathways involved in these communication processes and their effects on tumor behavior. Additionally, we will publish reviews and original research that offer new insights into recent advances in targeting these signaling pathways for cancer treatment.

Dr. Iljin Kim
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • tumor microenvironment
  • stromal cells
  • immune cells
  • extracellular matrix
  • hypoxia
  • angiogenesis
  • intercellular communication
  • extracellular vesicles
  • cancer therapy

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 3896 KiB  
Article
Fabrication of a Three-Dimensional Spheroid Culture System for Oral Squamous Cell Carcinomas Using a Microfabricated Device
by Reiko Ikeda-Motonakano, Fumika Hirabayashi-Nishimuta, Naomi Yada, Ryota Yamasaki, Yoshie Nagai-Yoshioka, Michihiko Usui, Kohji Nakazawa, Daigo Yoshiga, Izumi Yoshioka and Wataru Ariyoshi
Cancers 2023, 15(21), 5162; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers15215162 - 26 Oct 2023
Viewed by 995
Abstract
Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are considered to be responsible for recurrence, metastasis, and resistance to treatment in many types of cancers; therefore, new treatment strategies targeting CSCs are attracting attention. In this study, we fabricated a polyethylene glycol-tagged microwell device that enabled spheroid [...] Read more.
Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are considered to be responsible for recurrence, metastasis, and resistance to treatment in many types of cancers; therefore, new treatment strategies targeting CSCs are attracting attention. In this study, we fabricated a polyethylene glycol-tagged microwell device that enabled spheroid formation from human oral squamous carcinoma cells. HSC-3 and Ca9-22 cells cultured in the microwell device aggregated and generated a single spheroid per well within 24–48 h. The circular shape and smooth surface of spheroids were maintained for up to five days, and most cells comprising the spheroids were Calcein AM-positive viable cells. Interestingly, the mRNA expression of CSC markers (Cd44, Oct4, Nanog, and Sox2) were significantly higher in the spheroids than in the monolayer cultures. CSC marker-positive cells were observed throughout the spheroids. Moreover, resistance to cisplatin was enhanced in spheroid-cultured cells compared to that in the monolayer-cultured cells. Furthermore, some CSC marker genes were upregulated in HSC-3 and Ca9-22 cells that were outgrown from spheroids. In xenograft model, the tumor growth in the spheroid implantation group was comparable to that in the monolayer culture group. These results suggest that our spheroid culture system may be a high-throughput tool for producing uniform CSCs in large numbers from oral cancer cells. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Tumor Microenvironment: Intercellular Communication)
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Review

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18 pages, 1086 KiB  
Review
Immune Cells in the Tumor Microenvironment of Soft Tissue Sarcomas
by Enar Jumaniyazova, Anastasiya Lokhonina, Dzhuliia Dzhalilova, Anna Kosyreva and Timur Fatkhudinov
Cancers 2023, 15(24), 5760; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers15245760 - 08 Dec 2023
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Abstract
Soft tissue sarcomas (STSs) are a rare heterogeneous group of malignant neoplasms characterized by their aggressive course and poor response to treatment. This determines the relevance of research aimed at studying the pathogenesis of STSs. By now, it is known that STSs is [...] Read more.
Soft tissue sarcomas (STSs) are a rare heterogeneous group of malignant neoplasms characterized by their aggressive course and poor response to treatment. This determines the relevance of research aimed at studying the pathogenesis of STSs. By now, it is known that STSs is characterized by complex relationships between the tumor cells and immune cells of the microenvironment. Dynamic interactions between tumor cells and components of the microenvironment enhance adaptation to changing environmental conditions, which provides the high aggressive potential of STSs and resistance to antitumor therapy. Today, active research is being conducted to find effective antitumor drugs and to evaluate the possibility of using therapy with immune cells of STS. The difficulty in assessing the efficacy of new antitumor options is primarily due to the high heterogeneity of this group of malignant neoplasms. Studying the role of immune cells in the microenvironment in the progression STSs and resistance to antitumor therapies will provide the discovery of new biomarkers of the disease and the prediction of response to immunotherapy. In addition, it will help to initially divide patients into subgroups of good and poor response to immunotherapy, thus avoiding wasting precious time in selecting the appropriate antitumor agent. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Tumor Microenvironment: Intercellular Communication)
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