Tumor-associated Schwann cells as new therapeutic target in non-neurological cancers

Abstract

Cancer neuroscience, a burgeoning field, investigates the complex interactions between cancer and the nervous system, emphasizing how cancer cells exploit neuronal components for growth and metastasis. Tumor-associated Schwann cells (TASc) have emerged as crucial players in the progression of highly innervated cancers, highlighting the intricate relationship between the tumor microenvironment (TME) and the nervous system. This review concludes how TASc, as the most abundant glial cell in the peripheral nervous system, contribute to tumor growth, metastasis, and the remodeling of the TME. Acting similarly to reactive astrocytes in the central nervous system, TASc are implicated in driving perineural invasion (PNI), a distinctive cancer progression pathway facilitating tumor infiltration and metastasis. These TASc not only contribute indirectly to pain but also promote tumor recurrence and poor prognosis. Intrinsic to their role, TASc exhibit unique gene expression profiles and phenotypic transformations, shifting from myelinating to non-myelinating states, thereby actively participating in metastasis and the remodeling of the tumor microenvironment. Targeting TASc represents a novel and promising therapeutic strategy in non-neurological cancers, offering new avenues for clinical intervention.