%0 Journal Article
%T Immune Microenvironment in Tumor Progression: Characteristics and Challenges for Therapy
%A Valerie Chew
%A Han Chong Toh
%A Jean-Pierre Abastado
%J Journal of Oncology
%D 2012
%I Hindawi Publishing Corporation
%R 10.1155/2012/608406
%X The tumor microenvironment plays a critical role in cancer development, progression, and control. The molecular and cellular nature of the tumor immune microenvironment influences disease outcome by altering the balance of suppressive versus cytotoxic responses in the vicinity of the tumor. Recent developments in systems biology have improved our understanding of the complex interactions between tumors and their immunological microenvironment in various human cancers. Effective tumor surveillance by the host immune system protects against disease, but chronic inflammation and tumor ˇ°immunoeditingˇ± have also been implicated in disease development and progression. Accordingly, reactivation and maintenance of appropriate antitumor responses within the tumor microenvironment correlate with a good prognosis in cancer patients. Improved understanding of the factors that shape the tumor microenvironment will be critical for the development of effective future strategies for disease management. The manipulation of these microenvironmental factors is already emerging as a promising tool for novel cancer treatments. In this paper, we summarize the various roles of the tumor microenvironment in cancer, focusing on immunological mediators of tumor progression and control, as well as the significant challenges for future therapies. 1. Introduction The tumor microenvironment consists of cancer cells, stromal tissue, and extracellular matrix. The immune system is an important determinant of the tumor microenvironment. Indeed, the complex interplay between cancer cells and the host immune response has been extensively investigated in the past few decades. Several immunological deficiencies have been linked with enhanced tumor development in mouse models as well as in humans [1, 2]. The higher incidence of cancers in transplant patients receiving long-term immunosuppressive treatment is well documented [3¨C5]. Similarly, mice with compromised immune functions due to genetic modifications develop more tumors [6¨C9]. It is now well recognized that effective tumor surveillance by the immune system is critical to maintain homeostasis in the host. Despite exerting a key role in host protection, tumor surveillance by the immune system may eventually fail. As described in the three ˇ°Esˇ± of cancer immunoediting, tumor cells are initially eliminated by the immune system before becoming clinically detectable. This is then followed by an equilibrium phase, where a selection process for less immunogenic tumor variants take place until the tumors finally ˇ°escapeˇ± the immune
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jo/2012/608406/