Potential role of tumor microenvironment in the progression of oral cancer.

The stromal cells adjacent to the tumor including the fibroblasts, infammatory cells, lymphatic and vascular endothelial cells constitute the 'tumor microenvironment' (TM).(1) Recent in vivo and invitro studies have emphasized the role of stromal components on the growth, differentiation and invasiveness of the tumor cells. In addition, vascular, lymphatic or perineural invasion have proven to have independent prognostic value.(2) Despite the compelling evidence correlating the TM with the initiation and progression of cancer, our knowledge on the role of the genes mediating the various cellular interactions in the tumour stroma is limited.(2,3).