Tumour Microenvironment
The tumour microenvironment (TME) comprises the spectrum of non-neoplastic cells (for example, fibroblasts and immune/inflammatory cells), vessels and associated matrix contained within a cancer. Far from being just a passive scaffold, it is now well established that the two-way interaction between these stromal components and the tumour cells themselves plays an active, and in many cases crucial, role in modulating tumour growth (through both stimulatory and inhibitory actions).
