Macrophages Orchestrate the Liver Tumor Microenvironment.
Valeria QuarantaCostanza BallaròGianluigi GiannelliPublished in: Cancers (2024)
Liver cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortality. Hepatocellular carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma are the most common types, and despite numerous advances, therapeutic options still remain poor for these cancer patients. Tumor development and progression strictly depend on a supportive tumor microenvironment (TME). Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are the most abundant immune cells population within a tumorigenic liver; they sustain cancer cells' growth and invasiveness, and their presence is correlated with a poor prognosis. Furthermore, TAM cross-talk with cells and components of the TME promotes immunosuppression, a desmoplastic response, and angiogenesis. In this review, we summarize the latest advances in understanding TAM heterogeneity and function, with a particular focus on TAM modulation of the TME. We also discuss the potential of targeting macrophage subpopulations and how this is now being exploited in current clinical trials for the treatment of liver cancer.
Keyphrases
- poor prognosis
- long non coding rna
- clinical trial
- induced apoptosis
- cell cycle arrest
- adipose tissue
- cardiovascular events
- single cell
- vascular endothelial growth factor
- risk factors
- oxidative stress
- combination therapy
- cancer therapy
- type diabetes
- cell death
- climate change
- cell proliferation
- wound healing
- open label