title: A top-down view of the tumor microenvironment: structure, cells and signaling.
abstract: It is well established that the tumor microenvironment (TME) contributes to cancer progression. Stromal cells can be divided into mesenchymal, vascular, and immune. Signaling molecules secreted by the tumor corrupts these cells to create "activated" stroma. Equally, the extracellular matrix (ECM) contributes to tumor development and invasion by forming a biologically active scaffold. In this review we describe the key structural, cellular and signaling components of the TME with a perspective on stromal soluble factors and microRNAs (miRNAs).
authors.affiliation: Cancer Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton Southampton, UK ; University Surgery, University of Southampton, Southampton General Hospital Southampton, UK.
authors.forename: Rahul
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bhome
authors.affiliation: Cancer Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton Southampton, UK ; Department of Experimental Therapeutics, MD Anderson Cancer Center Houston, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Marc D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Bullock
authors.affiliation: Cancer Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton Southampton, UK.
authors.forename: Hajir A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Al Saihati
authors.affiliation: Cancer Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton Southampton, UK.
authors.forename: Rebecca W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Goh
authors.affiliation: University Surgery, University of Southampton, Southampton General Hospital Southampton, UK.
authors.forename: John N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Primrose
authors.affiliation: Cancer Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton Southampton, UK.
authors.forename: A Emre
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Sayan
authors.affiliation: Cancer Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton Southampton, UK ; University Surgery, University of Southampton, Southampton General Hospital Southampton, UK.
authors.forename: Alex H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Mirnezami
keywords: cancer stroma; cancer-associated fibroblast; extracellular matrix; microRNA; tumor microenvironment