Tissue-Resident Innate Immune Cell-Based Therapy: A Cornerstone of Immunotherapy Strategies for Cancer Treatment

• Published in: Frontiers in cell and developmental biology 2022-05, Vol.10, p.907572-907572
• Main Authors: Busà, Rosalia, Bulati, Matteo, Badami, Ester, Zito, Giovanni, Maresca, Daniela Claudia, Conaldi, Pier Giulio, Ercolano, Giuseppe, Ianaro, Angela
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: cancer; Cell and Developmental Biology; innate immune cells; innate lymphoid cells (ILC); macrophages; NK cells; tissue-resident immune cells
• ISSN: 2296-634X; 2296-634X
• DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.907572

Cancer immunotherapy has led to impressive advances in cancer treatment. Unfortunately, in a high percentage of patients is difficult to consistently restore immune responses to eradicate established tumors. It is well accepted that adaptive immune cells, such as B lymphocytes, CD4 + helper T lymphocytes, and CD8 + cytotoxic T-lymphocytes (CTLs), are the most effective cells able to eliminate tumors. However, it has been recently reported that innate immune cells, including natural killer cells (NK), dendritic cells (DC), macrophages, myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), and innate lymphoid cells (ILCs), represent important contributors to modulating the tumor microenvironment and shaping the adaptive tumor response. In fact, their role as a bridge to adaptive immunity, make them an attractive therapeutic target for cancer treatment. Here, we provide a comprehensive overview of the pleiotropic role of tissue-resident innate immune cells in different tumor contexts. In addition, we discuss how current and future therapeutic approaches targeting innate immune cells sustain the adaptive immune system in order to improve the efficacy of current tumor immunotherapies.