Fig. 5: Influence of the tumour microenvironment on the aggressiveness of PTC.

The tumour microenvironment (TME), which consists of a variety of cellular and non-cellular components, is an essential factor in the aggressiveness of PTC. Nerve density and perineural invasion modulate the TME. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) and tumour-associated neutrophils (TANs) infiltrate in TME, which are associated with tumour cell motility, progression, proliferation and dissemination. In addition, some microelements and metabolic syndrome (MetS) are closely related to the aggressive behaviours of PTC.