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The Tumor Microenvironment

The Tumor Microenvironment

Every normal cell or tissue is embedded in a complex local environment called stroma, consisting of different cell types, a basal membrane, and blood vessels. As normal cells mutate and develop into cancer cells, their local environment also changes to allow cancer progression. The tumor microenvironment (TME) consists of a complex cellular matrix of stromal cells and the developing tumor. The cross-talk between cancer cells and surrounding stromal cells is critical to disrupt normal tissue...

The Tumor Microenvironment

The Tumor Microenvironment

Every normal cell or tissue is embedded in a complex local environment called stroma, consisting of different cell types, a basal membrane, and blood vessels. As normal cells mutate and develop into cancer cells, their local environment also changes to allow cancer progression. The tumor microenvironment (TME) consists of a complex cellular matrix of stromal cells and the developing tumor. The cross-talk between cancer cells and surrounding stromal cells is critical to disrupt normal tissue...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 24, 2026

Quantitative Immunohistochemistry of the Cellular Microenvironment in Patient Glioblastoma Resections

Quantitative Immunohistochemistry of the Cellular Microenvironment in Patient Glioblastoma Resections

Published on: July 31, 2017

The brain tumor microenvironment.

Nikki A Charles¹, Eric C Holland, Richard Gilbertson

¹Brain Tumor Center and Department of Neurosurgery, Cancer Biology and Genetics, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York, USA.

|March 2, 2012

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

High-grade brain tumors involve complex interactions between tumor cells and surrounding brain cells. Understanding these cellular communications is key to developing new glioblastoma treatments.

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A Brain Tumor/Organotypic Slice Co-culture System for Studying Tumor Microenvironment and Targeted Drug Therapies

A Brain Tumor/Organotypic Slice Co-culture System for Studying Tumor Microenvironment and Targeted Drug Therapies

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Last Updated: May 24, 2026

Quantitative Immunohistochemistry of the Cellular Microenvironment in Patient Glioblastoma Resections

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Quantifying the Brain Metastatic Tumor Micro-Environment using an Organ-On-A Chip 3D Model, Machine Learning, and Confocal Tomography

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A Brain Tumor/Organotypic Slice Co-culture System for Studying Tumor Microenvironment and Targeted Drug Therapies

A Brain Tumor/Organotypic Slice Co-culture System for Studying Tumor Microenvironment and Targeted Drug Therapies

Published on: November 7, 2015

Area of Science:

Neuro-oncology
Cell biology
Tumor microenvironment

Context:

High-grade brain tumors, like glioblastomas, are characterized by cellular heterogeneity.
These tumors comprise not only cancer cells but also various non-cancerous cells within the brain.
Tumor-associated parenchymal cells, including vascular cells, microglia, and neural precursor cells, significantly influence tumor progression.

Purpose:

To review the intricate interactions between glioma cells (bulk and stem-like) and parenchymal cell populations.
To highlight the pathological consequences of these cell-cell communications.
To identify known signaling pathways involved in glioblastoma-parenchymal cell crosstalk.

Summary:

Glioblastomas contain diverse cell types, including stem-like cells potentially responsible for tumor recurrence.
Interactions with vascular cells create niches for stem-like cells, while microglia promote invasion.
Reactive astrocytes and neural precursor cells also modulate tumor biology through secreted factors.

Impact:

Reveals novel insights into the cell biology of primary brain tumors.
Identifies potential therapeutic targets by understanding cell-cell communication pathways.
Suggests new treatment strategies for glioblastomas by targeting tumor-microenvironment interactions.