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 tumour microenvironment contributes to cancer progression. Stromal cells can be divided into mesenchymal, vascular and immune. Signalling molecules secreted by the tumour corrupts these cells to create ‘activated’ stroma. Equally, the extracellular matrix contributes to tumour development and invasion by forming a biologically active scaffold. In this review we describe the key structural, cellular and signalling components of the tumour microenvironment with a perspective on stromal soluble factors and microRNAs.