The complex interactions between the tumor microenvironment and prostate and oropharyngeal cancer

Cioni, B. (2021)

Doctoral Thesis

For many years, cancer has been described as the accumulation of germinal and somatic mutations of the genome, impairing the function of tumor suppressor genes and stimulating oncogenes. Nowadays, it is commonly accepted that the tumor is not only a mass of malignant cells, rather than the result of a delicate network of interactions between tumor and stromal cells. Indeed, bidirectional communications between cancer cells and the surrounding microenvironment can strongly influence tumor development and progression. Stromal cells might support tumorigenesis, either via direct cell-cell contact mechanisms with tumor cells, or by releasing specific factors, including cytokines and growth factors in the surrounding extracellular matrix (ECM), with remodeling of the tumor microenvironment (TME) as a result.
The aim of this thesis is to elucidate the delicate network of interactions between different TME components and tumor cells in prostate cancer (PCa) and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC).

• Prostate Cancer
• Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma
• Tumor Microenvironment
• Macrophages
• Androgen Receptor
• Fibroblasts
• Cytokines
• Hormone therapy

• All authors: Cioni, B.
• Supervisor: Haanen, J.B.A.G.
• Co-supervisor: Bergman, A.M.; Boer, J.P. de
• Committee: Burg, S.H. van der; Linn, S.C.; Schalken, J.A.
• Qualification: Doctor (dr.)
• Awarding Institution: Faculty of Medicine, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Leiden University
• Date: 2021-06-03