Morphological and functional characteristics of the breast cancer microenvironment: scientific review

Breast cancer is a heterogeneous malignant disease with a wide variety of morphology, molecular characteristics and clinical presentation. In the formation of the tumor behavioral phenotype and its response to treatment an important role in the formation of the tumor behavioral phenotype and its response to treatment plays the tumor microenvironment, which makes its assessment critical in choosing therapeutic tactics. However, the practical aspects of using breast cancer microenvironment data are insufficiently studied. The aim of the study is to systematize the morphological and functional characteristics of the main cell types in the breast cancer tumor microenvironment and analyze the possibility practical use of these data. The material was scientific databases, information and library resources for the relevant keywords, the analysis included literature from 2018 to 2023. It is shown that the components of the tumor stroma, both the cellular component and the extracellular matrix, play a special role in carcinogenesis, and this role is not always unambiguous. Analysis of cell polymorphism and tumor microenvironment types should not be limited to research interest only, but should also be an integral part of the histopathological characteristics of a specific clinical case for the possibility of its further practical application. The tumor microenvironment is not just a stroma that feeds the tumor tissue, but also an active participant in carcinogenesis. The breast cancer tumor microenvironment includes cellular and extracellular components, each of which has its own functional and morphological subtypes. Tumor microenvironment cells have functional polymorphism, which creates difficulties on the way to obtaining a complete picture of carcinogenesis and mutual influence in the «tumor cell - microenvironment» system. Analysis of the components of the tumor microenvironment, elucidation of its role and complex mechanisms of cellular interaction of the microenvironment with tumor tissue, including the use of artificial intelligence technologies, can significantly advance knowledge about the mechanisms of breast cancer development for the development of effective technologies for prevention and treatment.