Are you ever presented with diagrams like the one below and don’t know where to start?

Not to worry, Dr Davies at www.pharmascholar.co.uk can help….

With regards to the tumour microenvironment (TME), we have cancer cells and a range of non-cancer cells presenting. For example, we are aware of the presence of endothelial cells within the vasculature, fibroblasts within the stroma and immune cells in circulation. These cells can liberate ‘soluble factors’ (e.g. cytokines and growth factors) that facilitate interaction between cells / groups of cells and this interaction can lead to a change in behaviour of those cells in the locality. The extracellular matrix (ECM) is also produced to act as a scaffold to physically support the TME.

A range of stressors may influence the behaviour of the tumour itself (e.g. physiological and mechanical stress). The external stressors may therefore govern the growth and development of the neoplasm.

Thus, we have two key systems in play, the cell-based system and the external stressor system; both are represented in the associated diagram. Within the mix, it is evident that blood vessels (i.e. arising from the process called angiogenesis) are available to provide nutrients and oxygen, whilst transporting carbon dioxide away from the tumour mass. The blood vessels concerned can interact with stromal cells and support propagation accordingly.

Overall, the TME is a complicated arrangement of biological material. It is possible that hypoxia (i.e. low oxygen levels) may occur and this can have a distinct effect on tumour metabolism / development with time; more detail will be outlined in a future Blog entry.

As a healthcare team, we really need to understand how the tumour cells interact with their environment so we can devise and formulate therapeutics to go against the development and propagation (i.e. metastasis) of the neoplasm.

The Tumour Microenvironment (TME)