Decoding the Tumor Microenvironment: From Mechanisms to Therapeutic Opportunities
A special issue of Cancers (ISSN 2072-6694). This special issue belongs to the section "Tumor Microenvironment".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2026
Special Issue Editors
Interests: organoids; bilio-panceratic cancers; therapy resistance; predictive biomarkers
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: head and neck cancers; zebrafish; 3D models; primary cultures; drug screening
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: molecular characterization; circulating tumor cells; new methods development
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The tumor microenvironment (TME) is now recognized as a central driver of cancer biology, influencing processes from tumor initiation to metastasis. Far from being a passive scaffold, the TME consists of stromal cells, immune infiltrates, vascular and extracellular matrix components, and a plethora of soluble mediators that collectively determine tumor growth and therapeutic response. This intricate ecosystem shapes not only cancer cell behavior but also the mechanisms of immune evasion and resistance to both conventional and targeted treatments.
In recent years, advances in high-resolution imaging, single-cell profiling, and spatial multi-omics have uncovered the remarkable heterogeneity and plasticity within the TME. These insights are redefining our understanding of tumor–host interactions and opening new avenues for intervention. Targeting the TME, either alone or in combination with cancer-directed therapies, represents a promising frontier to overcome resistance and achieve durable clinical benefit.
This Special Issue gathers contributions that dissect the multifaceted roles of the TME across tumor types, highlighting mechanistic insights, biomarker discovery, and translational strategies. By integrating perspectives from basic, translational, and clinical research, our goal is to advance the understanding of how the TME shapes disease trajectory and to inspire innovative approaches for therapeutic exploitation.
The topics of interest for this Special Issue can include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Cellular and molecular mechanisms governing tumor–microenvironment interactions;
- Immune evasion strategies orchestrated by the TME;
- Prognostic and predictive biomarkers derived from the tumor microenvironment;
- Spatial and single-cell omics approaches to characterize TME heterogeneity;
- Remodeling of the extracellular matrix and its impact on tumor progression;
- Targeting stromal and immune components to enhance therapeutic response;
- Mechanisms of therapy resistance linked to TME dynamics;
- 3D tumor models and ex vivo systems to study TME complexity;
- Translational and clinical strategies exploiting TME vulnerabilities.
Dr. Michele Zanoni
Dr. Giacomo Miserocchi
Dr. Tania Rossi
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Cancers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- tumor microenvironment (TME)
- cancer immunology
- tumor–stroma interactions Immune
- evasion
- therapy resistance
- spatial and single-cell omics
- biomarker discovery
- translational oncology
- 3D models
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