The double-edged sword role of tumor-associated macrophages: preventing or causing resistance to immunotherapy - PubMed
7 hours ago
- #Tumor Microenvironment
- #Macrophages
- #Immunotherapy
- Immunotherapy has transformed cancer treatment, but only a subset of patients achieves durable responses.
- Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) play a dual role in cancer therapy, both preventing and causing resistance to immunotherapy.
- TAMs contribute to resistance through mechanisms like T-cell exclusion, immunosuppressive cytokines, metabolic checkpoints, and tumor angiogenesis.
- High TAM infiltration is associated with poor immunotherapy outcomes, as shown in clinical and single-cell transcriptomic studies.
- Emerging therapeutic strategies aim to reprogram, deplete, or block TAM recruitment, with some approaches in early-phase clinical trials.
- Understanding TAM heterogeneity and dynamics could lead to better combination therapies and predictive biomarkers for personalized immunotherapy.