Tumor-Associated Microenvironment of Adult Gliomas: A Review

Abstract

The glioma-associated tumor microenvironment involves a multitude of different cells ranging from immune cells to endothelial, glial, and neuronal cells surrounding the primary tumor. The interactions between these cells and glioblastoma (GBM) have been deeply investigated while very little data are available on patients with lower-grade gliomas. In these tumors, it has been demonstrated that the composition of the microenvironment differs according to the isocitrate dehydrogenase status (mutated/wild type), the presence/absence of codeletion, and the expression of specific alterations including H3K27 and/or other gene mutations. In addition, mechanisms by which the tumor microenvironment sustains the growth and proliferation of glioma cells are still partially unknown. Nonetheless, a better knowledge of the tumor-associated microenvironment can be a key issue in the optic of novel therapeutic drug development.