Mast Cells, Angiogenesis and Lymphangiogenesis in Human Gastric Cancer

• Published in: International journal of molecular sciences 2019-04, Vol.20 (9), p.2106
• Main Authors: Sammarco, Giuseppe, Varricchi, Gilda, Ferraro, Valentina, Ammendola, Michele, De Fazio, Michele, Altomare, Donato Francesco, Luposella, Maria, Maltese, Lorenza, Currò, Giuseppe, Marone, Gianni, Ranieri, Girolamo, Memeo, Riccardo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adenosine; Angiogenesis; Animals; Biomarkers; Biomedical materials; Cell adhesion & migration; Chemokines; Dendritic cells; Deoxyribonucleic acid; DNA; DNA methylation; Ehrlich, Paul; Gastric cancer; Gene amplification; Gene expression; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; Helper cells; Histamine; Homeostasis; Humans; Hypoxia; Immune system; Immunomodulation; Inflammation; Leukocytes (basophilic); Localization; Lymphangiogenesis - genetics; Lymphangiogenesis - immunology; Lymphocytes T; Macrophages; Mast cells; Mast Cells - immunology; Mast Cells - metabolism; Monocytes; Neovascularization, Pathologic - genetics; Neovascularization, Pathologic - metabolism; Neutrophils; Osteopontin; Review; Signal Transduction; Stomach Neoplasms - etiology; Stomach Neoplasms - metabolism; Stomach Neoplasms - pathology; Suppressor cells; Tumor Microenvironment - genetics; Tumor Microenvironment - immunology; Tumorigenesis; Tumors; Vascular endothelial growth factor; Wound healing
• ISSN: 1422-0067; 1661-6596; 1422-0067
• DOI: 10.3390/ijms20092106

Gastric cancer is diagnosed in nearly one million new patients each year and it remains the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Although gastric cancer represents a heterogeneous group of diseases, chronic inflammation has been shown to play a role in tumorigenesis. Cancer development is a multistep process characterized by genetic and epigenetic alterations during tumour initiation and progression. The stromal microenvironment is important in maintaining normal tissue homeostasis or promoting tumour development. A plethora of immune cells (i.e., lymphocytes, macrophages, mast cells, monocytes, myeloid-derived suppressor cells, Treg cells, dendritic cells, neutrophils, eosinophils, natural killer (NK) and natural killer T (NKT) cells) are components of gastric cancer microenvironment. Mast cell density is increased in gastric cancer and there is a correlation with angiogenesis, the number of metastatic lymph nodes and the survival of these patients. Mast cells exert a protumorigenic role in gastric cancer through the release of angiogenic (VEGF-A, CXCL8, MMP-9) and lymphangiogenic factors (VEGF-C and VEGF-F). Gastric mast cells express the programmed death ligands (PD-L1 and PD-L2) which are relevant as immune checkpoints in cancer. Several clinical undergoing trials targeting immune checkpoints could be an innovative therapeutic strategy in gastric cancer. Elucidation of the role of subsets of mast cells in different human gastric cancers will demand studies of increasing complexity beyond those assessing merely mast cell density and microlocalization.