The Circulating Tumor Microenvironment (cTME): Emerging Taxonomies and Multimodal Landscapes
A special issue of Cells (ISSN 2073-4409). This special issue belongs to the section "Cell Microenvironment".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 August 2026 | Viewed by 616
Editor
2. Department of Diagnostic Pathology, Nara Medical University Hospital, 840 Shijo-Cho, Kashihara 634-8522, Nara, Japan
Interests: thoracic surgery; oncology; liquid biopsy; circulating tumor cells (CTCs); the circulating tumor microenvironment (cTME)
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The traditional paradigm of cancer metastasis has long focused on solitary circulating tumor cells (CTCs) as the primary “seeds” of disease progression. However, emerging research indicates that metastasis is a coordinated, collective process governed by a complex systemic ecosystem known as the Circulating Tumor Microenvironment (cTME). This ecosystem encompasses not only malignant cells but also a diverse array of non-malignant functional partners—including tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), fibroblasts (CAFs), and aneuploid circulating tumor endothelial cells (CTECs). These components, along with non-cellular factors such as ctDNA and extracellular vesicles (EVs), dictate the survival, immune evasion, and seeding efficiency of the metastatic unit.
Despite rapid discovery, the field faces a significant nomenclature inconsistency regarding the term “TME,” which historically denoted physical cell clusters (Tumor Microemboli) but now universally refers to the broader biological landscape. Establishing a rigorous taxonomy to decouple the “environment” (cTME) from the “physical emboli” (CTE) is essential to advance experimental cytology and bridge the gap between molecular profiling and functional assays.
This Special Issue aims to present and disseminate the most recent advances related to the biological and cellular dynamics of the circulating tumor ecosystem. We encourage submissions addressing a broad spectrum of solid tumors, including but not limited to lung cancer and breast cancer, to provide a comprehensive overview of the cTME landscape. We specifically invite contributions that delve into the cellular mechanisms and functional assays of the cTME.
Topics of interest for publication include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Cellular heterogeneity and phenotypic plasticity of CTCs and C-TACs;
- Mechanisms of heterotypic cluster (CTE) formation and the “mobile niche” in immune evasion;
- Molecular characterization of cTME-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) and pre-metastatic niche preparation;
- Biophysical regulation of tumor cell transit, including fluid shear stress and extravasation;
- Novel technologies for the selective enrichment and functional profiling (e.g., Chemo-Response Profiling) of cTME components.
Prof. Dr. Noriyoshi Sawabata
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- circulating tumor microenvironment (cTME)
- circulating tumor-associated cells (C-TACs)
- circulating tumor emboli (CTE)
- extracellular vesicles
- metastatic cascade
- experimental cytology
- functional assays
- precision oncology
- liquid biopsy
- next-generation sequencing (NGS)
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