Cancer in context: Importance of the tumor microenvironment

Abstract

Our understanding of tumor biology has evolved from the consideration of only tumor cell autonomous changes to the realization of the plethora of interactions among various cells and molecules present within the locale of a growing tumor. Characterizing this so-called tumor microenvironment has opened a new window of opportunity for both diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. From a therapeutic perspective, an attractive feature of targeting noncancer cells is that they are not inherently genetically unstable and therefore drug resistance is less likely than in mutation-prone tumor cells. In this chapter, we consider the roles of different cell types, molecules, and environmental conditions that together constitute the unique topography of a tumor microenvironment. © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2010. All rights reserved.