Tumor microenvironment in glioblastoma: Current and emerging concepts

Glioblastoma (GBM) tumor microenvironment (TME) is a highly heterogeneous and complex system, which in addition to cancer cells, consists of various resident brain and immune cells as well as cells in transit through the tumor such as marrow-derived immune cells. The TME is a dynamic environment which is heavily influenced by alterations in cellular composition, cell-to-cell contact and cellular metabolic products as well as other chemical factors, such as pH and oxygen levels. Emerging evidence suggests that GBM cells appear to reprogram their the TME, and hijack microenvironmental elements to facilitate rapid proliferation, invasion, migration, and survival thus generating treatment resistance. GBM cells interact with their microenvironment directly through cell-to-cell by interaction mediated by cell-surface molecules, or indirectly through apocrine or paracrine signaling via cytokines, growth factors, and extracellular vehicles. The recent discovery of neuron–glioma interfaces and neurotransmitter-based interactions has uncovered novel mechanisms that favor tumor cell survival and growth. Here, we review the known and emerging evidence related to the communication between GBM cells and various components of its TME, discuss models for studying the TME and outline current studies targeting components of the TME for therapeutic purposes.