Inflammatory immune infiltration in human tumors: Role in pathogenesis and prognostic and diagnostic value

The cellular microenvironment directly and indirectly influences tumor development and possesses prognostic and in some cases diagnostic value. Over the years, understanding of structural organization of the immune/inflammatory moiety of neoplasms as well as in-depth phenotypic and transcriptomic profiling of its cellular components together provide more and more insights in both basic and translational medical science. In this review, we will discuss the specific roles of various stromal cells and their impact on neoplastic progression as well as address the use of quantitative and phenotypic analysis of immune/inflammatory infiltrate for diagnostics and predicting the clinical course of human malignancies.