Immunosuppressive cells in cancer: mechanisms and potential therapeutic targets

• Published in: Journal of hematology and oncology 2022-05, Vol.15 (1), p.61-61, Article 61
• Main Authors: Tie, Yan, Tang, Fan, Wei, Yu-Quan, Wei, Xia-Wei
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adoptive transfer; Angiogenesis; Antigens; Biomarkers; Bone marrow; Cancer; Cytokines; Dendritic cells; Development and progression; Gene expression; Genotype & phenotype; Health aspects; Hematology; Humans; Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors; Immunoregulation; Immunosuppressive cells; Immunosuppressive cellular cytokines; Immunotherapy; Leukocytes (neutrophilic); Lymphocytes; Lymphocytes T; Macrophages; Medical prognosis; Metastasis; Neoplasms - drug therapy; Neutrophils; Oncology; Patients; Phenotypes; Review; T cells; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory; Therapeutic applications; Therapeutic targets; Tumor cells; Tumor immune microenvironment; Tumor Microenvironment; Tumors; Vascular endothelial growth factor
• ISSN: 1756-8722; 1756-8722
• DOI: 10.1186/s13045-022-01282-8

Immunotherapies like the adoptive transfer of gene-engineered T cells and immune checkpoint inhibitors are novel therapeutic modalities for advanced cancers. However, some patients are refractory or resistant to these therapies, and the mechanisms underlying tumor immune resistance have not been fully elucidated. Immunosuppressive cells such as myeloid-derived suppressive cells, tumor-associated macrophages, tumor-associated neutrophils, regulatory T cells (Tregs), and tumor-associated dendritic cells are critical factors correlated with immune resistance. In addition, cytokines and factors secreted by tumor cells or these immunosuppressive cells also mediate the tumor progression and immune escape of cancers. Thus, targeting these immunosuppressive cells and the related signals is the promising therapy to improve the efficacy of immunotherapies and reverse the immune resistance. However, even with certain success in preclinical studies or in some specific types of cancer, large perspectives are unknown for these immunosuppressive cells, and the related therapies have undesirable outcomes for clinical patients. In this review, we comprehensively summarized the phenotype, function, and potential therapeutic targets of these immunosuppressive cells in the tumor microenvironment.