TY  - JOUR
A1  - Henke, Erik
A1  - Nandigama, Rajender
A1  - Ergün, Süleyman
T1  - Extracellular matrix in the tumor microenvironment and its impact on cancer therapy
JF  - Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences
N2  - Solid tumors are complex organ-like structures that consist not only of tumor cells but also of vasculature, extracellular matrix (ECM), stromal, and immune cells. Often, this tumor microenvironment (TME) comprises the larger part of the overall tumor mass. Like the other components of the TME, the ECM in solid tumors differs significantly from that in normal organs. Intratumoral signaling, transport mechanisms, metabolisms, oxygenation, and immunogenicity are strongly affected if not controlled by the ECM. Exerting this regulatory control, the ECM does not only influence malignancy and growth of the tumor but also its response toward therapy. Understanding the particularities of the ECM in solid tumor is necessary to develop approaches to interfere with its negative effect. In this review, we will also highlight the current understanding of the physical, cellular, and molecular mechanisms by which the pathological tumor ECM affects the efficiency of radio-, chemo-, and immunotherapy. Finally, we will discuss the various strategies to target and modify the tumor ECM and how they could be utilized to improve response to therapy.
KW  - extracellular matrix
KW  - cancer therapy
KW  - drug transport
KW  - immunotherapy
KW  - chemotherapy (CH)
KW  - radiotherapy
KW  - tumor microenvironment
KW  - ECM
Y1  - 2020
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-199341
SN  - 2296-889X
VL  - 6
IS  - 160
ER  -