New Insights into the Sialyl-Tn Antigen-Mediated Remodeling of Cancer Microenvironment

Abstract

Sialyl-Tn (sTn) antigen, a cancer-associated carbohydrate antigen, is used in the clinical practice as a tumor marker strongly correlated with poor prognosis in cancer patients, but its biological role in pathogenesis remains poorly understood. Regulation of the cancer microenvironment through direct and indirect cell–cell communication in tumor tissue is crucial during cancer progression. Recently, we have demonstrated that sTn antigen activates extracellular vesicle production in cancer cells and transfers focal adhesion kinase to the target cells. In this review, we present that sTn antigen plays an important role in the remodeling of the cancer microenvironment and cancer progression.