Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 1, 2026
07:44
Studying the Effects of Tumor-Secreted Paracrine Ligands on Macrophage Activation using Co-Culture with Permeable Membrane Supports
Published on: November 28, 2019
8.0K
How the ageing microenvironment influences tumour progression.
Mitchell Fane1,2, Ashani T Weeraratna3,4,5
1The Wistar Institute, Immunology, Microenvironment and Metastasis Program, Philadelphia, PA, USA. mfane@jhu.edu.
Nature Reviews. Cancer
|December 15, 2019
Summary
As people live longer, cancer becomes a major public health issue. This review explores how the aging microenvironment promotes tumor growth and affects cancer therapy response, highlighting a gap in preclinical research.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Gerontology
- Cancer Biology
Background:
- Cancer incidence significantly increases in individuals over 60.
- The global population is aging, escalating cancer as a public health concern.
- Aging populations present considerable economic, healthcare, and financial challenges.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the role of the aging microenvironment in promoting tumor progression.
- To examine cellular and molecular changes in non-cancerous cells during aging.
- To discuss the impact of aging on cancer therapy response and outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of cellular and molecular changes in the aging microenvironment.
- Analysis of biophysical alterations in the extracellular matrix.
- Examination of changes in secreted factors and the immune system during aging.
Main Results:
- Aging alters the tumor microenvironment, creating a pro-tumorigenic milieu.
- Specific changes include extracellular matrix modifications, altered secreted factors, and immune system dysregulation.
- Aging significantly influences patient responses to cancer therapies and overall survival.
Conclusions:
- The aging microenvironment plays a critical role in tumor metastasis and therapy response.
- Preclinical studies often neglect the aged microenvironment, using young animal models.
- This oversight may contribute to the failure of translating preclinical cancer therapies to clinical success.
More Related Videos
08:57Evaluating the Effect of SASP Factors on the Proliferation of Cancer Cells Using a Comparative Analysis of Three Distinct Methodologies
Published on: September 19, 2025
427
09:52A Mimic of the Tumor Microenvironment: A Simple Method for Generating Enriched Cell Populations and Investigating Intercellular Communication
Published on: September 20, 2016
10.8K
Related Concept Videos
02:17The Tumor Microenvironment
7.6K
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...
7.6K
02:53Adaptive Mechanisms in Cancer Cells
6.8K
Cancer cells accumulate genetic changes at an abnormally rapid rate due to the defects in the DNA repair mechanisms. From an evolutionary perspective, such genetic instability is advantageous for cancer development. Mutant cell lines accumulate a series of beneficial mutations that contribute to their progression into cancer.
Some of the advantages that cancer cells have on normal cells include - enhanced ability to divide without terminally differentiating, induce new blood vessel formation,...
Some of the advantages that cancer cells have on normal cells include - enhanced ability to divide without terminally differentiating, induce new blood vessel formation,...
6.8K
02:07Tumor Progression
7.2K
Tumor progression is a phenomenon where the pre-formed tumor acquires successive mutations to become clinically more aggressive and malignant. In the 1950s, Foulds first described the stepwise progression of cancer cells through successive stages.
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...
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...
7.2K
03:03mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression
4.5K
The mammalian target of rapamycin or mTOR protein was discovered in 1994 due to its direct interaction with rapamycin. The protein gets its name from a yeast homolog called TOR. The mTOR protein complex in mammalian cells plays a major role in balancing anabolic processes such as the synthesis of proteins, lipids, and nucleotides and catabolic processes, such as autophagy in response to environmental cues, such as availability of nutrients and growth factors.
The mTOR pathway or the...
The mTOR pathway or the...
4.5K
01:19The Effect of Aging on Tissues
3.1K
Several body functions deteriorate with age. The external signs of aging are easily identifiable. For example, the skin becomes dry, less elastic, and thins out, forming wrinkles. The skin of the face begins to appear looser due to a decrease in the levels of elastic and collagen fibers in the connective tissue. Additionally, melanin production in the hair follicle decreases with age, resulting in gray hair. Moreover, the senses of sight and hearing decline, so glasses and hearing aids may...
3.1K
01:26Aging
537
Aging is a complex biological phenomenon influenced by various processes that affect cellular and systemic functions. Several prominent theories attempt to explain its mechanisms, highlighting cellular limitations, oxidative damage, and hormonal changes as central factors in aging.
Cellular Clock Theory
The cellular clock theory posits that the human lifespan is closely tied to the finite capacity of cells to divide, a phenomenon governed by telomeres, which are protective caps at the ends of...
Cellular Clock Theory
The cellular clock theory posits that the human lifespan is closely tied to the finite capacity of cells to divide, a phenomenon governed by telomeres, which are protective caps at the ends of...
537