Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 22, 2026

Time-Lapse Imaging of Antibody-Driven Macrophage Phagocytosis of Green Fluorescence Protein–Labeled Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cells
Published on: August 14, 2026
The tumor macroenvironment as cancer metabolism's next frontier
Allison B Grenell1, Joe L Rowles1, Ronnie Fowle-Grider1
1Department of Chemistry, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA; Department of Genetics, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA; Department of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA; Center for Mass Spectrometry and Metabolic Tracing, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA; Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA.
Abstract:
The deregulated utilization of nutrients by tumors, first observed over a century ago, is recognized as a hallmark of cancer and continues to be exploited clinically to image neoplastic disease. Despite this historic focus on cancer cells and, more recently, their neighbors, metabolic reprogramming is not limited to the tumor microenvironment. Tumors also have the capacity to rewire the metabolism of cells throughout the body, including those at distant sites, often referred to as the tumor macroenvironment. Alterations in the metabolism of noncancerous tissues outside the local tumor ecosystem are gaining attention, but their origins and consequences remain incompletely defined. A deeper understanding of these changes may reveal previously unrecognized signatures of disease and unexplored opportunities for therapeutic intervention.
Related Concept Videos
The Tumor Microenvironment
The Tumor Microenvironment
Adaptive Mechanisms in Cancer Cells
Some of the advantages that cancer cells have on normal cells include - enhanced ability to divide without terminally differentiating, induce new blood vessel formation,...
Adaptive Mechanisms in Cancer Cells
Some of the advantages that cancer cells have on normal cells include - enhanced ability to divide without terminally differentiating, induce new blood vessel formation,...
Treatment Resistant Cancers
Metastasis
Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition
The epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition or EMT is a developmental process commonly observed in wound healing, embryogenesis, and cancer metastasis. EMT is induced by transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) or receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) ligands, which further...