Complexities of the Lung Tumor Microenvironment

Abstract

Successful development of the next wave of immunotherapies for lung cancer will require a deeper understanding of the tumor microenvironment (TME). Tumors are composed of heterogeneous cancer cells, stromal cells, and immune cells. Various subsets of tumor-infiltrating immune cells have been shown to have prominent protumor or anti-tumor effects, and correlate either positively or negatively with patient survival and response to therapy. Nonimmune tumor components, including fibroblasts, extracellular matrix, and various metabolites, also play increasingly recognized roles in shaping the TME. Furthermore, chronic inflammation often associated with lung cancer has been shown to transform the lung TME, highlighting the complex interplay between immune and nonimmune components of tumors. In this chapter, we review recent findings on the composition of the lung TME and how these functionally varied components modulate tumor progression and response to therapy.