About this Research Topic
Despite considerable recent advances in understanding and treating many other cancers, malignant brain tumors remain associated with low survival or severe long-term sequelae. Glioblastoma, central nervous lymphoma, and metastatic tumor are common brain malignancies in adults. Despite therapy advancements in surgical resection combined with standardized radiotherapy and chemotherapy, the median survival of such diseases is still relentless. In children, medulloblastoma (MB) and diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) are the most prevalent malignant brain tumors, and unresectable in various cases, naturally with a grim median survival and minimal clinical benefits from the adjuvant therapy. The failure of classical treatment regimens leads us to focus on the whole landscape in which brain tumors initiate and progress.
The tumor microenvironment (TME) is a major component of brain malignancies and is a prominent regulator of tumor progression in dynamic conditions. The brain TME contains many different non-cancerous cell types in addition to tumor cells defined as an extra-cellular matrix (ECM) composed of tissue-resident cell types including microglia, astrocytes and neurons. The cellular interactions among variant ECM and tumor cells are dynamic due to the microenvironmental diversification, driven by epigenetic, metabolic, and immune-microenvironmental reprogramming. The aforementioned reprogramming processes have been found during tumor progression when stressing tumor cells by cytotoxic therapies or hypoxia, thus supporting them in overcoming the predicament. As such, the TME compartments may host new therapeutic opportunities that could improve outcomes for brain tumor patients. Nevertheless, how they affect brain tumor growth or behavior is emerging, yet many questions remain, such as the novel phenotypes and machineries of reprogramming.
This research topic aims to exploit brain TME, including epigenetic, metabolic, and immune-microenvironmental reprogramming. Hopefully, pioneering studies on this topic would yield new insight into reversing the alteration of brain TME at an augmented level, and specifically targeting brain tumors in the future. Studies on glioblastoma, brainstem glioma, medulloblastoma, and other malignant brain tumors are all welcome for this topic.
Article types of original research, review, methods, brief research report and case report will be considered for this topic, which will focus but not be limited to the following:
- Epigenetic modification of brain tumors
- Metabolic remodeling and flexibility in brain tumors
- Immune microenvironment alteration and heterogeneity in brain tumors
- Advanced preclinical models for investigating veritable brain TME interplay
– Vulnerabilities in brain TME and targeting therapy
The tumor microenvironment (TME) is a major component of brain malignancies and is a prominent regulator of tumor progression in dynamic conditions. The brain TME contains many different non-cancerous cell types in addition to tumor cells defined as an extra-cellular matrix (ECM) composed of tissue-resident cell types including microglia, astrocytes and neurons. The cellular interactions among variant ECM and tumor cells are dynamic due to the microenvironmental diversification, driven by epigenetic, metabolic, and immune-microenvironmental reprogramming. The aforementioned reprogramming processes have been found during tumor progression when stressing tumor cells by cytotoxic therapies or hypoxia, thus supporting them in overcoming the predicament. As such, the TME compartments may host new therapeutic opportunities that could improve outcomes for brain tumor patients. Nevertheless, how they affect brain tumor growth or behavior is emerging, yet many questions remain, such as the novel phenotypes and machineries of reprogramming.
This research topic aims to exploit brain TME, including epigenetic, metabolic, and immune-microenvironmental reprogramming. Hopefully, pioneering studies on this topic would yield new insight into reversing the alteration of brain TME at an augmented level, and specifically targeting brain tumors in the future. Studies on glioblastoma, brainstem glioma, medulloblastoma, and other malignant brain tumors are all welcome for this topic.
Article types of original research, review, methods, brief research report and case report will be considered for this topic, which will focus but not be limited to the following:
- Epigenetic modification of brain tumors
- Metabolic remodeling and flexibility in brain tumors
- Immune microenvironment alteration and heterogeneity in brain tumors
- Advanced preclinical models for investigating veritable brain TME interplay
– Vulnerabilities in brain TME and targeting therapy
Keywords: Brain Tumor Microenvironment, Immune microenvironment, Epigenetic, Metabolic
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