Myeloid cells: key players in tumor microenvironments.
10.1007/s11684-025-1124-8
- Author:
Qiaomin HUA
1
;
Zhixiong LI
1
;
Yulan WENG
1
;
Yan WU
2
;
Limin ZHENG
3
Author Information
1. Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Functional Genes, MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China.
2. Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Functional Genes, MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China. wuyan32@mail.sysu.edu.cn.
3. Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Functional Genes, MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China. zhenglm@mail.sysu.edu.cn.
- Publication Type:Review
- Keywords:
ICB treatment;
immune therapy;
myeloid cells;
tumor microenvironments
- MeSH:
Humans;
Tumor Microenvironment/immunology*;
Myeloid Cells/immunology*;
Neoplasms/therapy*;
Animals
- From:
Frontiers of Medicine
2025;19(2):265-296
- CountryChina
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
Cancer is the result of evolving crosstalk between neoplastic cell and its immune microenvironment. In recent years, immune therapeutics targeting T lymphocytes, such as immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) and CAR-T, have made significant progress in cancer treatment and validated targeting immune cells as a promising approach to fight human cancers. However, responsiveness to the current immune therapeutic agents is limited to only a small proportion of solid cancer patients. As major components of most solid tumors, myeloid cells played critical roles in regulating the initiation and sustentation of adaptive immunity, thus determining tumor progression as well as therapeutic responses. In this review, we discuss emerging data on the diverse functions of myeloid cells in tumor progression through their direct effects or interactions with other immune cells. We explain how different metabolic reprogramming impacts the characteristics and functions of tumor myeloid cells, and discuss recent progress in revealing different mechanisms-chemotaxis, proliferation, survival, and alternative sources-involved in the infiltration and accumulation of myeloid cells within tumors. Further understanding of the function and regulation of myeloid cells is important for the development of novel strategies for therapeutic exploitation in cancer.
