Cancer remains a significant global challenge spanning decades. Common treatments including surgical treatment, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy have long been employed. Additionally, newer approaches such as immunotherapy, hormone therapy, and targeted therapy have rapidly emerged to benefit patients. Despite the initial positive effects of these novel therapies, the emergence of drug resistance often compromises their effectiveness, leading to patient fatalities. Thus, there is a critical need to explore the underlying mechanisms and devise innovative solutions to combat drug resistance in cancer. This Special Issue aims to spotlight the pivotal role of tumor microenvironment in cancer drug resistance. Accumulating evidence strongly indicates that the tumor microenvironment, comprising cancer cells, stromal cells, endothelial cells, immune cells, mesenchymal cells, adipocytes, and pericytes, as well as extracellular matrix and cytokines, is closely associated with therapeutic resistance. This issue will focus on various facets, including the hypoxic microenvironment, angiogenesis, stromal cells, extracellular matrix, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, and immune cells, shedding light on their contribution to cancer drug resistance. Moreover, the Special Issue will delve into approaches aimed at modifying the tumor microenvironment to overcome drug resistance. We cordially invite researchers to submit original research articles, review articles, case reports, and meta-analyses that provide insights into the underlying mechanisms and therapeutic options targeting cancer drug resistance.
Keywords or key topics of the Special Issue:
● The proposed topics include, but are not limited to:
● Tumor-associated Macrophages in Drug Resistance;
● Myeloid-derived Suppressor Cells in Drug Resistance;
● Tumor-associated Neutrophils in Drug Resistance;
● Cancer-associated Fibroblasts in Drug Resistance;
● B Lymphocytes in Drug Resistance;
● T Lymphocytes in Drug Resistance;
● Mesenchymal stem cells in Drug Resistance;
● Tumor-Specific Endothelial Cells in Drug Resistance;
● Angiogenesis and Drug Resistance;
● Extracellular Matrix and Drug Resistance.
