Soluble extracellular signal in tumor microenvironment

The soluble extracellular signals in the tumor microenvironment (TME) represent a heterogeneous group of secreted molecules, including cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors, that facilitate communication between tumor cells and their surrounding stroma (Source: Nature Reviews Cancer, 2021). These signals, such as Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) and Transforming Growth Factor-beta (TGF-β), play essential roles in promoting tumor growth, inducing angiogenesis, and mediating immune suppression (Source: National Cancer Institute, 2023). By interacting with specific cell-surface receptors, these factors activate intracellular pathways like JAK/STAT and PI3K/AKT/mTOR, which drive cell proliferation and survival (Source: PubMed, PMID: 33452145). Therapeutic interventions often utilize monoclonal antibodies or decoy receptors to sequester these soluble ligands, thereby inhibiting their pro-tumorigenic effects (Source: Frontiers in Oncology, 2022). However, the functional redundancy and pleiotropic nature of these signals often lead to therapeutic resistance and complex safety profiles (Source: ScienceDirect, 2023). Because this term describes a functional category rather than a single molecular entity, it is not considered a specific therapeutic target in itself.

Other names

Soluble TME factorsTumor-secreted signaling moleculesExtracellular signaling mediators in cancerTME soluble mediators

Neutralization of soluble ligands to prevent their interaction with cognate cell-surface receptors, thereby inhibiting downstream oncogenic signaling pathways.