About this Research Topic
Emerging immunotherapies, such as the immune checkpoint blockade therapy (ICB) and chimeric antigen receptors T-cell (CAR-T) therapy, have achieved promising results in treating certain types of cancer. However, not all cancer patients benefit from these advanced immunotherapeutic approaches because of intrinsic and acquired resistance. Tumors are heterogeneous and structurally complex tissues comprised of various types of cells, including tumor cells, fibroblasts, immune cells, endothelial cells, and extracellular structural and signaling molecules. Together they form tumor microenvironment (TME), in which various mechanisms are initiated by tumor cells, non-tumor cells, extracellular matrix proteins, signal factors, and metabolic molecules to suppress anti-tumor immune response. Intensive investigations have focused on discovering these mechanisms, developing strategies to overcome immunosuppressive TME, and improving the efficiency of immunotherapies.
This Research Topic focuses on the immunosuppressive TME in tumor initiation, progression, and resistance to immunotherapies. We aim to publish a collection of outstanding studies on (1) TME-based immune escape mechanisms; (2) key immune modulators in TME and their regulated signaling/pathways; and (3) strategies and approaches to alter immunosuppressive TME in favor of response to immunotherapies.
We welcome contributions in the form of Original Research Articles, Reviews, and Mini-Reviews that cover but are not limited to the following topics related to immune modulators in TME:
- Modulation of immune TME by tumor-intrinsic signals
- Immunoregulatory cells in TME and their immunostimulatory and immunosuppressive mechanisms
- Chronic infection, inflammation, and cancer progression
- Extracellular factors secreted by tumor and non-tumor cells that regulate the activation and exhaustion of tumor-infiltrating immune cells
- Chemokine/cytokines-introduced immunosuppression in TME
- Landscape of immune TME via data integration and bioinformatic analysis
- Strategies of targeting immune modulator/immune cell for cancer therapies
Methods describing new technological approaches to study immune modulation in tumor microenvironment are also welcome.
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserve the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
Keywords: Tumor microenvironment, Immune therapy, Immune suppression, Inflammation, Chronic infection, Cancer progression
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
