Laboratory of Oncology, G Gaslini Institute, Largo G Gaslini 5, 16148 Genova, Italy.
Immunotherapy. 2011 Jul;3(7):895-907. doi: 10.2217/imt.11.80.
Cytokines released by cancer cells or by cells of the tumor microenvironment stimulate angiogenesis, act as autocrine or paracrine growth factors for malignant cells, promote tumor cell migration and metastasis or create an immunosuppressive microenvironment. These tumor-promoting effects of cytokines also apply to neuroblastoma (NB), a pediatric neuroectodermal malignancy with frequent metastatic presentation at diagnosis and poor prognosis. IL-6 and VEGF are the best characterized cytokines that stimulated tumor growth and metastasis, while others such as IFN-γ can exert anti-NB activity by inducing tumor cell apoptosis and inhibiting angiogenesis. On the other hand, cytokines are part of the anti-NB therapeutic armamentarium, as exemplified by IL-2 and granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor that potentiate the activity of anti-NB antibodies. These recent results raise hope for more efficacious treatment of this ominous pediatric malignancy.
癌细胞或肿瘤微环境中的细胞释放的细胞因子刺激血管生成，作为自分泌或旁分泌生长因子作用于恶性细胞，促进肿瘤细胞迁移和转移，或形成免疫抑制微环境。这些细胞因子的促肿瘤作用也适用于神经母细胞瘤（NB），这是一种儿童神经外胚层恶性肿瘤，在诊断时经常发生转移，预后不良。IL-6 和 VEGF 是最具特征性的细胞因子，可刺激肿瘤生长和转移，而干扰素-γ（IFN-γ）等其他细胞因子则通过诱导肿瘤细胞凋亡和抑制血管生成发挥抗 NB 活性。另一方面，细胞因子是抗 NB 治疗手段的一部分，例如白细胞介素-2（IL-2）和粒细胞-巨噬细胞集落刺激因子（GM-CSF）可增强抗 NB 抗体的活性。这些最新的研究结果为治疗这种凶险的儿科恶性肿瘤带来了更有效的希望。
