Improving therapeutic resistance: beginning with targeting the tumor microenvironment

Abstract

Cancer is a serious threat to human health and life. The tumor microenvironment (TME) not only plays a key role in the occurrence, development and metastasis of cancer, but also has a profound impact on treatment resistance. To improve and solve this problem, an increasing number of strategies targeting the TME have been proposed, and great progress has been made in recent years. This article reviews the characteristics and functions of the main matrix components of the TME and the mechanisms by which each component affects drug resistance. Furthermore, this article elaborates on targeting the TME as a strategy to treat acquired drug resistance, reduce tumor metastasis, recurrence, and improve efficacy.

Keywords:

• Tumor microenvironment
• therapeutic resistance
• tumor metastasis
• target therapy
• chemotherapy
• immunotherapy

Disclosure statement

All authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Health Industry Scientific Research Program of Gansu Province (GSWSKY2020-78), Lanzhou Science and Technology Development Guiding Plan Project (2019-ZD-54), Science and Technology Plan Project of Gansu Province (20JR5RA323).