Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 13, 2026

Enrichment and Characterization of the Tumor Immune and Non-immune Microenvironments in Established Subcutaneous Murine Tumors
Published on: June 7, 2018
How does the tumor microenvironment play a role in hepatobiliary tumors?
1Department of Internal Medicine, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas, USA.
Abstract:
The tumor microenvironment (TME) is defined as the structural and dynamic network of cellular and non-cellular interactions between malignant cells and the surrounding non-malignant matrix. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) are two of the most challenging gastrointestinal malignancies. Despite clinical advancements in understanding tumor biology and growth of the chemotherapeutic industry, there have been no corresponding improvements in prognosis and overall survival of HCC and PDAC. Both of these cancers have a very intimate relationship with their surrounding environment; the TME is thought to actively participate in initiating and sustaining these malignancies. Individual TME constituents play a vital role in chemoresistance and recurrence after surgery and have been established as independent prognostic factors. This review article will highlight the diverse structural components, key signaling pathways, and extracellular matrices of HCC and PDAC and discuss their crosstalk with tumor cells to promote growth and metastasis. The article will also summarize the latest laboratory and clinical research based on therapeutic targets identified within the TME of both HCC and PDAC.
Related Concept Videos
The Tumor Microenvironment
Tumor Immunotherapy
Tumor Progression
Colon cancer is one of the best-documented examples of tumor progression. Early mutation in the APC gene in colon cells causes a small growth on the colon wall called a polyp. With time, this polyp grows into a benign, pre-cancerous tumor. Further...
Social Foundations of Self I: Play and Game
Cancer Stem Cells and Tumor Maintenance
Cancer stem cells are thought to originate from tissue-specific normal stem cells or progenitor cells. The normal stem cells usually reside in...
Loss of Tumor Suppressor Gene Functions
When the tumor suppressor genes develop mutations or are lost, cells start growing out of control, leading to cancer. However, a single functional copy of the tumor suppressor gene is enough for the cells to maintain their normal functions and cell...

