Exploring the dynamic interplay between cancer stem cells and the tumor microenvironment: implications for novel therapeutic strategies

Yan-Ruide Li; Ying Fang; Zibai Lyu; Yichen Zhu; Lili Yang

doi:10.1186/s12967-023-04575-9

Exploring the dynamic interplay between cancer stem cells and the tumor microenvironment: implications for novel therapeutic strategies

J Transl Med. 2023 Oct 2;21(1):686. doi: 10.1186/s12967-023-04575-9.

Authors

Yan-Ruide Li^#¹, Ying Fang^#², Zibai Lyu², Yichen Zhu², Lili Yang^{3

4

5

6}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA. charlie.li@ucla.edu.
² Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA.
³ Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA. liliyang@ucla.edu.
⁴ Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA. liliyang@ucla.edu.
⁵ Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA. liliyang@ucla.edu.
⁶ Molecular Biology Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA. liliyang@ucla.edu.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) have emerged as key contributors to tumor initiation, growth, and metastasis. In addition, CSCs play a significant role in inducing immune evasion, thereby compromising the effectiveness of cancer treatments. The reciprocal communication between CSCs and the tumor microenvironment (TME) is observed, with the TME providing a supportive niche for CSC survival and self-renewal, while CSCs, in turn, influence the polarization and persistence of the TME, promoting an immunosuppressive state. Consequently, these interactions hinder the efficacy of current cancer therapies, necessitating the exploration of novel therapeutic approaches to modulate the TME and target CSCs. In this review, we highlight the intricate strategies employed by CSCs to evade immune surveillance and develop resistance to therapies. Furthermore, we examine the dynamic interplay between CSCs and the TME, shedding light on how this interaction impacts cancer progression. Moreover, we provide an overview of advanced therapeutic strategies that specifically target CSCs and the TME, which hold promise for future clinical and translational studies in cancer treatment.

Keywords: Cancer immunotherapy; Cancer stem cell (CSC); Immune evasion; Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC); Therapy resistance; Tumor microenvironment (TME); Tumor-associated macrophage (TAM).

Publication types

Review
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Cell Transformation, Neoplastic
Humans
Immunotherapy
Neoplasms* / pathology
Neoplastic Stem Cells / pathology
Tumor Microenvironment