Cancer cells interact with and remodel the surrounding microenvironment. An increasing number of studies focus on tongue tumor microenvironment (TME) to find novel approaches to investigate tongue cancer, indicating that tongue tumor microenvironment is recognized as a critical element for tongue tumor development and metastasis and as a potential therapeutic target. In this paper, we review the extrinsic features of the tongue tumor microenvironment, including its various components, and the intrinsic characteristics of TME, including heterogeneity, cell death, and metastatic potential. We also report on the cross talk between these intrinsic and extrinsic components. We believe that the exploration of the tongue tumor microenvironment can provide guidance for the treatments and improve the overall survival and quality of patients' lives.
Keywords: Apoptosis; Autophagy; Cancer-associated fibroblasts; Cell death; Exosomes; Extracellular matrix; Extracellular vesicles; Heterogeneity; Immune cell; Metastasis; Microenvironment; Necroptosis; Regulated necrosis; Stiffness; Tongue cancer.