The Tumor Immune Microenvironment in Primary CNS Neoplasms: A Review of Current Knowledge and Therapeutic Approaches

Anita L Kalluri; Pavan P Shah; Michael Lim

doi:10.3390/ijms24032020

The Tumor Immune Microenvironment in Primary CNS Neoplasms: A Review of Current Knowledge and Therapeutic Approaches

Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Jan 19;24(3):2020. doi: 10.3390/ijms24032020.

Authors

Anita L Kalluri¹, Pavan P Shah¹, Michael Lim²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Neurosurgery, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
² Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.

Abstract

Primary CNS neoplasms are responsible for considerable mortality and morbidity, and many therapies directed at primary brain tumors have proven unsuccessful despite their success in preclinical studies. Recently, the tumor immune microenvironment has emerged as a critical aspect of primary CNS neoplasms that may affect their malignancy, prognosis, and response to therapy across patients and tumor grades. This review covers the tumor microenvironment of various primary CNS neoplasms, with a focus on glioblastoma and meningioma. Additionally, current therapeutic strategies based on elements of the tumor microenvironment, including checkpoint inhibitor therapy and immunotherapeutic vaccines, are discussed.

Keywords: brain cancer; immunotherapy; tumor microenvironment.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Brain Neoplasms* / pathology
Central Nervous System Neoplasms* / therapy
Combined Modality Therapy
Glioblastoma* / pathology
Humans
Immunotherapy / methods
Neoplasms*
Tumor Microenvironment

Grants and funding

This research received no external funding.