AUTHOR=Bhome Rahul , Bullock Marc D. , Al Saihati Hajir A. , Goh Rebecca W. , Primrose John N. , Sayan A. Emre , Mirnezami Alex H. TITLE=A top-down view of the tumor microenvironment: structure, cells and signaling JOURNAL=Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology VOLUME=Volume 3 - 2015 YEAR=2015 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cell-and-developmental-biology/articles/10.3389/fcell.2015.00033 DOI=10.3389/fcell.2015.00033 ISSN=2296-634X 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).