Turning cold into hot: emerging strategies to fire up the tumor microenvironment

Kaili Ma; Lin Wang; Wenhui Li; Tingting Tang; Bo Ma; Liyuan Zhang; Lianjun Zhang

doi:10.1016/j.trecan.2024.11.011

Turning cold into hot: emerging strategies to fire up the tumor microenvironment

Trends Cancer. 2024 Dec 26:S2405-8033(24)00278-4. doi: 10.1016/j.trecan.2024.11.011. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Kaili Ma¹, Lin Wang¹, Wenhui Li¹, Tingting Tang², Bo Ma³, Liyuan Zhang⁴, Lianjun Zhang⁵

Affiliations

¹ National Key Laboratory of Immunity and Inflammation, Suzhou Institute of Systems Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123, China; Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology Regulatory Element, Institute of Systems Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123, China.
² Jiangsu Center for the Collaboration and Innovation of Cancer Biotherapy, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, 221004, Jiangsu, China.
³ Jiangsu Center for the Collaboration and Innovation of Cancer Biotherapy, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, 221004, Jiangsu, China. Electronic address: boma@xzhmu.edu.cn.
⁴ Center for Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123, China; PRAG Therapy Center, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123, China. Electronic address: zhangliyuan@suda.edu.cn.
⁵ National Key Laboratory of Immunity and Inflammation, Suzhou Institute of Systems Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123, China; Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology Regulatory Element, Institute of Systems Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123, China. Electronic address: zlj@ism.cams.cn.

PMID: 39730243
DOI: 10.1016/j.trecan.2024.11.011

Abstract

The tumor microenvironment (TME) is a complex, highly structured, and dynamic ecosystem that plays a pivotal role in the progression of both primary and metastatic tumors. Precise assessment of the dynamic spatiotemporal features of the TME is crucial for understanding cancer evolution and designing effective therapeutic strategies. Cancer is increasingly recognized as a systemic disease, influenced not only by the TME, but also by a multitude of systemic factors, including whole-body metabolism, gut microbiome, endocrine signaling, and circadian rhythm. In this review, we summarize the intrinsic, extrinsic, and systemic factors contributing to the formation of 'cold' tumors within the framework of the cancer-immunity cycle. Correspondingly, we discuss potential strategies for converting 'cold' tumors into 'hot' ones to enhance therapeutic efficacy.

Keywords: cancer immunotherapy; cold tumor; hot tumor; systemic regulation; tumor microenvironment.

Publication types

Review