Federica Barbugian

1 Introduction Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most frequent lethal brain tumor with an overall survival of less than 2 years.[1-3] GBM onset and progression is generally asymptomatic, making an early diagnosis an urgent medical need.[4] Unfortunately, despite the extensive research on the pathophysiology of GBM and the identification and characterization of new therapeutic targets, the prognosis for GBM patients remains poor.[5, 6] The high neoplastic cells heterogenicity characterizing...

The extracellular matrix (ECM) has a driving role in cell fate modulation [1] in healthy and pathological states. Different ECM components and microenvironmental factors are involved in the crosstalk with cells [2]. In glioblastoma, in particular, the contribution of the ECM seems to be critical in the tumor development, progression and resistance to therapies [3].