Cell-Intrinsic and Cell-Extrinsic Therapeutic Targets in Glioblastoma: Overcoming Resistance Through Tumor Microenvironment Modulation and Precision Medicine

Background

Glioblastoma (GBM) is an aggressive primary brain tumor with poor prognosis despite multimodal treatment. While prior research focused on tumor cell evolution, growing evidence highlights the tumor microenvironment (TME) as a key driver of therapeutic resistance and disease progression. Understanding GBM-TME interactions is crucial for identifying novel therapeutic targets.

Methods

A comprehensive literature search was conducted in PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science for English-language studies up to December 2024. Relevant observational studies, clinical trials, meta-analyses, and reviews were analyzed to evaluate cell-intrinsic and cell-extrinsic mechanisms driving GBM progression and treatment resistance.

Results

Emerging evidence suggests that phenotypic plasticity, rather than DNA mutations, underlies GBM recurrence, allowing tumor cells to evade targeted therapies. Single-cell lineage tracking reveals that GBM cells dynamically adapt within the TME through complex signaling with astrocytes, microglia, and immune cells, fostering an immunosuppressive microenvironment. Recurrent GBM shows increased T-cell infiltration but is dominated by exhausted CD8+ T cells and regulatory T cells, promoting immune evasion. Disrupting these tumor-supportive interactions offers a therapeutic opportunity.

Conclusions

Recurrent GBM shifts toward a mesenchymal phenotype, driving resistance. Targeting mesenchymal transition pathways, such as activator protein 1 modulation, may improve therapy. Additionally, reversing CD8+ T-cell exhaustion and regulatory T cell-mediated immunosuppression could enhance immunotherapy. Disrupting TME-mediated signaling represents a promising strategy to overcome resistance. This review highlights both cell-intrinsic and cell-extrinsic therapeutic targets and insights from single-cell multiomics for future GBM treatments.