Historically, cancer has been studied at the genomic level with a focus on malignant cells. However, tumors are comprised of various host cells, which are co-opted by cancer cells to promote tumor growth and metastasis. Using multilevel analysis of human tumor biopsies, recent work identifies a reproducible 22-gene expression signature in the ovarian tumor microenvironment (TME) that correlates with disease progression and survival. These findings suggest that the TME is a promising therapeutic target that could be effective across a wide patient population, regardless of the genetic changes within their tumor cells.
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