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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 Extracellular Matrix

The Extracellular Matrix

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Updated: Jan 26, 2026

Electrochemotherapy of Tumours

Electrochemotherapy of Tumours

Published on: December 15, 2008

Beyond the tumour microenvironment.

Lucie Laplane^1,2,3, Dorothée Duluc^4,5, Andreas Bikfalvi^2,3,5,6

¹INSERM UMR 1170, Normal and Pathological Hematopoiesis, Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France.

International Journal of Cancer

|April 17, 2019

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

The tumour microenvironment (TME) is important, but focusing solely on it overlooks the broader tumour organismal environment (TOE). Understanding the TOE is crucial for a complete view of cancer progression and developing effective therapies.

Keywords:

immune system microbiome nervous system tumour microenvironment tumour organismal environment

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Area of Science:

Oncology
Cancer Biology
Tumour Microenvironment Research

Background:

Historically, cancer research focused on the tumour itself.
The tumour microenvironment (TME) concept expanded understanding to include surrounding elements and non-genetic factors.
Recent TME-centric approaches risk overlooking broader systemic influences on cancer.

Purpose of the Study:

To critique the limitations of a TME-centric view in cancer research.
To emphasize the significance of the tumour organismal environment (TOE) in cancer progression.
To advocate for a more holistic understanding of cancer development.

Main Methods:

Literature review and conceptual analysis.
Critique of current TME-focused research paradigms.
Highlighting the role of systemic factors beyond the immediate TME.

Main Results:

The TME-centric view, while useful, presents explanatory and therapeutic limitations.
Components outside the TME, within the broader TOE, significantly influence cancer.
Overlooking the TOE can lead to incomplete understanding and suboptimal treatment strategies.

Conclusions:

A comprehensive understanding of cancer requires considering the tumour organismal environment (TOE) in addition to the tumour microenvironment (TME).
Future research and therapeutic strategies must integrate the systemic context of cancer.
Moving beyond TME-centricity is essential for advancing cancer research and treatment.