Advances in landscape and related therapeutic targets of the prostate tumor microenvironment

Duocai Li; Weidong Xu; Yifan Chang; Yutian Xiao; Yundong He; Shancheng Ren

doi:10.3724/abbs.2023092

Advances in landscape and related therapeutic targets of the prostate tumor microenvironment

Acta Biochim Biophys Sin (Shanghai). 2023 Jun 9;55(6):956-973. doi: 10.3724/abbs.2023092.

Authors

Duocai Li¹, Weidong Xu¹, Yifan Chang², Yutian Xiao², Yundong He³, Shancheng Ren¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Urology, Shanghai Changzheng Hospital, Naval Medical University, Shanghai 200003, China.
² Department of Urology, Shanghai Changhai Hospital, Naval Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China.
³ Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China.

Abstract

The distinct tumor microenvironment (TME) of prostate cancer (PCa), which promotes tumor proliferation and progression, consists of various stromal cells, immune cells, and a dense extracellular matrix (ECM). The understanding of the prostate TME extends to tertiary lymphoid structures (TLSs) and metastasis niches to provide a more concise comprehension of tumor metastasis. These constituents collectively structure the hallmarks of the pro-tumor TME, including immunosuppressive, acidic, and hypoxic niches, neuronal innervation, and metabolic rewiring. In combination with the knowledge of the tumor microenvironment and the advancement of emerging therapeutic technologies, several therapeutic strategies have been developed, and some of them have been tested in clinical trials. This review elaborates on PCa TME components, summarizes various TME-targeted therapies, and provides insights into PCa carcinogenesis, progression, and therapeutic strategies.

Keywords: hallmarks; immunotherapy; prostate cancer; tumor microenvironment; tumor-associated macrophages.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Carcinogenesis
Humans
Male
Neoplasms*
Prostate
Prostatic Neoplasms* / therapy
Tumor Microenvironment

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the grants from the Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality (No. 18410750200 to S.R.), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 82125025 to S.R.), the “Doctoral Innovation Fund” project of Changzheng Hospital (No. BSCX2022-18 to D.L.), the 2021 Naval Medical University Basic Science Research Fund (Youth Start-up Fund, No. 2021QN29 to Y.C), the 2022 National Natural Science Fund (Youth Fund, No. 82203138 to Y.C.), and the 2022 Pujiang Scholar Program Award (No. 22PJ1402700 to Y.H.).