Breast cancer is the most common cancer type in women and breast cancer-related deaths are mainly due to the metastases of tumors to the distant vital organs including the lung, liver, bone and brain. While metastatic breast cancer remains incurable, in the past three decades, significant advances in breast cancer metastasis research have revealed intricate interactions between tumor cells and the tissue microenvironments that are essential for the development of organ metastatic lesions. Such interactions occur not only at the primary tumor sites, but also within the metastatic organs. A deep understanding about how the mammary “soil” pushes the primary tumor “seeds” out and the distant organ “soil” adopts the disseminated “seeds”, is essential for the understanding of immune-based therapies for breast cancer and exploring cures for metastatic disease.
Within both primary tumor and distant organ microenvironments, immune infiltrates and stromal cells are the major components. Through chemical or physical interactions with breast cancer cells, these non-neoplastic cells play instrumental roles in the progression and metastasis of breast cancer. Immune infiltrates, including both innate and adaptive immune cells, play context-dependent roles to either restrain or instigate metastasis. The competition between anti-tumor immunity and immune cell-mediated tumor promotion prevails during the whole course of metastatic progression of breast cancer. Emerging evidence also indicates that stromal cells, such as mesenchymal cells and vascular cells, functionally modulate the tissue resident immunity and exert either supportive or suppressive effects on breast cancer metastasis. Recent technological advances, particularly the high throughput sequencing and proteomics, make it possible to reveal the heterogeneity and complex interactions of stromal cells, immune infiltrates and tumor cells at the single cell and spatial levels. This will profoundly advance our understanding of the microenvironmental regulation of breast cancer metastasis, which leads to exciting new therapeutic opportunities for patients with metastatic breast cancer.
In this Research Topic, we welcome submissions of Original Research Articles, Reviews, Mini Reviews, Methods and Perspectives that address the roles of immune cells or stromal-immune cell interactions in any steps of breast cancer metastasis. Some potential topics of interest include but are not limited to:
1. Immune cells or stromal-immune cell interactions in the primary tumor microenvironment that regulate breast cancer invasion and intravasation
2. Immune cells or stromal-immune cell interactions in the metastatic organ microenvironment/niche that regulate breast cancer extravasation, survival, dormancy, proliferation and colonization
3. High throughput multi-omics analyses of the heterogeneity and interactions of stromal cells, immune cells and tumor cells in breast cancer metastasis
4. Role of immune cells or stromal-immune cell interactions in breast cancer metastasis in an organ site-specific manner (i.e. organotropism)
5. Therapeutic targeting of immune cells or stromal-immune cell interactions in the prevention and treatment of breast cancer metastasis in preclinical models and clinical settings
6. New technologies and models to study the immune cells or stromal-immune cell interactions in breast cancer metastasis
7. Studies that help explain the contradictory functions of certain immune cell types (e.g. neutrophils) in breast cancer metastasis
Breast cancer is the most common cancer type in women and breast cancer-related deaths are mainly due to the metastases of tumors to the distant vital organs including the lung, liver, bone and brain. While metastatic breast cancer remains incurable, in the past three decades, significant advances in breast cancer metastasis research have revealed intricate interactions between tumor cells and the tissue microenvironments that are essential for the development of organ metastatic lesions. Such interactions occur not only at the primary tumor sites, but also within the metastatic organs. A deep understanding about how the mammary “soil” pushes the primary tumor “seeds” out and the distant organ “soil” adopts the disseminated “seeds”, is essential for the understanding of immune-based therapies for breast cancer and exploring cures for metastatic disease.
Within both primary tumor and distant organ microenvironments, immune infiltrates and stromal cells are the major components. Through chemical or physical interactions with breast cancer cells, these non-neoplastic cells play instrumental roles in the progression and metastasis of breast cancer. Immune infiltrates, including both innate and adaptive immune cells, play context-dependent roles to either restrain or instigate metastasis. The competition between anti-tumor immunity and immune cell-mediated tumor promotion prevails during the whole course of metastatic progression of breast cancer. Emerging evidence also indicates that stromal cells, such as mesenchymal cells and vascular cells, functionally modulate the tissue resident immunity and exert either supportive or suppressive effects on breast cancer metastasis. Recent technological advances, particularly the high throughput sequencing and proteomics, make it possible to reveal the heterogeneity and complex interactions of stromal cells, immune infiltrates and tumor cells at the single cell and spatial levels. This will profoundly advance our understanding of the microenvironmental regulation of breast cancer metastasis, which leads to exciting new therapeutic opportunities for patients with metastatic breast cancer.
In this Research Topic, we welcome submissions of Original Research Articles, Reviews, Mini Reviews, Methods and Perspectives that address the roles of immune cells or stromal-immune cell interactions in any steps of breast cancer metastasis. Some potential topics of interest include but are not limited to:
1. Immune cells or stromal-immune cell interactions in the primary tumor microenvironment that regulate breast cancer invasion and intravasation
2. Immune cells or stromal-immune cell interactions in the metastatic organ microenvironment/niche that regulate breast cancer extravasation, survival, dormancy, proliferation and colonization
3. High throughput multi-omics analyses of the heterogeneity and interactions of stromal cells, immune cells and tumor cells in breast cancer metastasis
4. Role of immune cells or stromal-immune cell interactions in breast cancer metastasis in an organ site-specific manner (i.e. organotropism)
5. Therapeutic targeting of immune cells or stromal-immune cell interactions in the prevention and treatment of breast cancer metastasis in preclinical models and clinical settings
6. New technologies and models to study the immune cells or stromal-immune cell interactions in breast cancer metastasis
7. Studies that help explain the contradictory functions of certain immune cell types (e.g. neutrophils) in breast cancer metastasis
