PTEN and lung cancer: In a related study of lung cancer, researchers found that TME nutrient deficiency promoted the transfection efficiency of miR-224 mimics in NSCLC cells, in addition to altering the expression of Bcl-2, PTEN, apoptotic protein Bax, and autophagy-associated protein LC3 and affecting changes in the corresponding cellular functional phenotypes, a finding that suggests that alterations in TME have a critical impact on tumors (34).