Chen M, Chen ZG. Endothelial metabolic reprogramming influences tumor immune microenvironment. World J Clin Oncol 2026; 17(3): 113326 [DOI: 10.5306/wjco.v17.i3.113326]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Zhi-Gang Chen, MD, PhD, Chief, Professor, Department of Breast Surgery (Surgical Oncology), The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, No. 88 Jiefang Road, Hangzhou 310000, Zhejiang Province, China. chenzhigang@zju.edu.cn
Research Domain of This Article
Oncology
Article-Type of This Article
Review
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Ming Chen, Zhi-Gang Chen, Department of Breast Surgery (Surgical Oncology), The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310000, Zhejiang Province, China
Ming Chen, Zhi-Gang Chen, Key Laboratory of Tumor Microenvironment and Immune Therapy of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou 310000, Zhejiang Province, China
Ming Chen, Zhi-Gang Chen, Cancer Centre, Zhejiang University, China Cancer Institute, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Intervention, Ministry of Education, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310000, Zhejiang Province, China
Author contributions: Chen M and Chen ZG contributed to the conceptualization and writing-reviewing and editing; Chen M contributed to writing-original draft.
Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 81972598 and No. 82273337; and National Key R&D Program, No. 2022YFA1105201.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Corresponding author: Zhi-Gang Chen, MD, PhD, Chief, Professor, Department of Breast Surgery (Surgical Oncology), The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, No. 88 Jiefang Road, Hangzhou 310000, Zhejiang Province, China. chenzhigang@zju.edu.cn
Received: August 22, 2025 Revised: September 25, 2025 Accepted: January 23, 2026 Published online: March 24, 2026 Processing time: 213 Days and 16.3 Hours
Abstract
The components of the tumor microenvironment are crucial in tumor growth, metastasis, immune evasion and therapeutic resistance. To adapt to the low-oxygen and nutrient-deficient conditions, cancer cells generate new blood vessels to promote tumor expansion and metastatic spread via tumor angiogenesis. Recent research has revealed that tumor endothelial cells reprogram their metabolic patterns during tumor progression. These metabolic changes influence the infiltration of cytotoxic T lymphocytes such as CD8+ T cells and recruit immune-suppressive cells, resulting in immune evasion and increased tumor progression. Therefore, targeting tumor endothelial metabolism alongside immunotherapies could offer a novel strategy for precise cancer treatment in clinical settings.
Core Tip: In recent years, the tumor microenvironment (TME) has emerged as a critical target in cancer research due to its role in regulating tumor growth, metastasis and treatment response. Immune cells are core components of the TME, and the effects of tumor cell metabolic reprogramming on immune cells are well understood. However, research on the impact of metabolic reprogramming of tumor endothelial cells on the tumor immune microenvironment is limited. This review summarizes metabolic changes in endothelial cells within the TME and their effects on the tumor immune microenvironment. It also suggests combining anti-angiogenic therapy that targets endothelial metabolism with immunotherapy as a future treatment option.
