Pattern response of dendritic cells in the tumor microenvironment and breast cancer

Figure 1 Changes to the tumor microenvironment seen in a mammary gland with breast cancer, consisting of a layer of luminal epithelial cells surrounded by myoepithelial cells, bordered by a continuous basal membrane, with adipocytes external to the mammary gland. In the stroma, there are tumor-associated fibroblasts immune cells surrounded by the extracellular matrix that maintains the tissue structure. In ductal carcinoma, the myoepithelial cells are changed epigenetically and phenotypically. The number of fibroblasts, monocytes and macrophages associated with the tumor are increased in the stroma, elevating secretion of growth factors, cytokines and chemokines, which promotes tumor progression. Dendritic cells (DCs) have plastic characteristics, showing distinct phenotypes depending on their mature state.