Immune Cells in the Tumor Microenvironment and Cancer Stem Cells: Interplay for Tumor Progression

Cancer is one of the leading causes of deaths worldwide due to poor clinical outcome attribute to ineffective treatment and resistance to therapy. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) which have the ability to give rise to all the cell types present in particular cancer believed to responsible for therapy resistance [1,2]. Cancer therapy resistance induced by CSCs eventually leads to cancer growth, relapse and metastatic spread. Other than CSCs, tumor microenvironment (TME) which consist cancer cell, fibroblast and immune cells influence the therapeutic outcome of cancer. Cancer cell secreted cytokines and growth factors attract the immune cells in TME. These immune cells get corrupted in TME and instead of killing, start helping cancer cell. In such circumstances understanding of the interaction of TME immune cells and CSCs is crucial, considering the fact that they both determine the cancer treatment results and their cross talk may provide the boost for unchecked growth of cancer cell.