Immune Cells Within the Tumor Microenvironment
A special issue of Cancers (ISSN 2072-6694). This special issue belongs to the section "Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 3 November 2026 | Viewed by 121
Special Issue Editor
Interests: immuno-oncology; breast cancer; colorectal cancer; mucosal immunity; tumor microenvironment; innate immunity; tumor-associated macrophages; eosinophils; gamma delta T cells; digital pathology; spatial cancer biology; single-cell transcriptomics
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The tumor microenvironment (TME) is a complex and dynamic ecosystem in which resident and infiltrating immune cells exert both pro- and anti-tumoral functions, profoundly influencing disease progression and therapeutic outcomes. The TME harbours diverse immune populations — including T cells, natural killer (NK) cells, B cells, neutrophils, macrophages, dendritic cells, and eosinophils — that mediate immune surveillance, tumor immune evasion, and response to therapy, making their comprehensive characterization essential for prognosis and treatment planning. The composition and functional states of these immune cells vary depending on tumor origin, intrinsic cancer cell features, tumor stage, and patient-specific factors.
Recent advances in single-cell transcriptomics, multiplex and high-plex immunofluorescence, and spatial pathology are beginning to resolve the heterogeneity and spatial organization of immune populations across cancer types. These technologies enable more precise identification of immune cell states and interactions within the TME predictive of immunotherapy responsiveness.
This Special Issue, entitled Immune Cells Within the Tumor Microenvironment, invites original research and review articles exploring the functional diversity of TME-resident immune cells, their crosstalk with tumor and stromal compartments, mechanisms driving immune exclusion or exhaustion and metastatic dissemination, and translational strategies to reprogram the immune TME. Contributions should aim to advance understanding of the immune landscape and guide the development of precision immunotherapies to improve patient outcomes across malignancies.
Dr. Diego Carlos dos Reis
Guest Editor
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
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
- tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes
- macrophage polarization
- T cell exhaustion
- immune evasion
- cancer immunotherapy
- single-cell transcriptomics
- spatial pathology
- immune checkpoint
- innate and adaptive immunity
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