Lung Tumor Microenvironment as a Source of Prognostic Biomarkers and Therapeutic Targets
This review from Nature Reviews Cancer synthesizes how the tumor-reprogrammed lung microenvironment promotes both primary lung cancer and lung metastasis through inflammation, angiogenesis, and immune modulation. Beyond biology, it explores the translational potential of microenvironmental features as clinical biomarkers and discusses how understanding these processes could yield novel therapeutic targets. The work is relevant for laboratories developing immune-based diagnostic assays and spatial profiling approaches for lung cancer.
The original study
The lung microenvironment: an important regulator of tumour growth and metastasis.
- Authors
- Altorki NK, Markowitz GJ, Gao D, Port JL, Saxena A, Stiles B, et al.
- Journal
- Nature reviews. Cancer
- Type
- Journal Article, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't, Review
- PMID
- 30532012
Original abstract
Lung cancer is a major global health problem, as it is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Major advances in the identification of key mutational alterations have led to the development of molecularly targeted therapies, whose efficacy has been limited by emergence of resistance mechanisms. US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved therapies targeting angiogenesis and more recently immune checkpoints have reinvigorated enthusiasm in elucidating the prognostic and pathophysiological roles of the tumour microenvironment in lung cancer. In this Review, we highlight recent advances and emerging concepts for how the tumour-reprogrammed lung microenvironment promotes both primary lung tumours and lung metastasis from extrapulmonary neoplasms by contributing to inflammation, angiogenesis, immune modulation and response to therapies. We also discuss the potential of understanding tumour microenvironmental processes to identify biomarkers of clinical utility and to develop novel targeted therapies against lung cancer.