Erreni Marco, Mantovani Alberto, Allavena Paola
Department of Immunology and Inflammation, IRCCS Istituto Clinico Humanitas, Via Manzoni, 56, Rozzano, Milan, Italy.
Cancer Microenviron. 2011 Aug;4(2):141-54. doi: 10.1007/s12307-010-0052-5. Epub 2010 Sep 17.
Experimental and epidemiological studies indicate a strong link between chronic inflammation and tumor progression. Human colorectal cancer (CRC), a major cause of cancer-related death in Western countries, represents a paradigm for this link. Key features of cancer-related inflammation in CRC are the activation of transcription factors (e.g. NF-κB, STAT3), the expression of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines (e.g. TNFα, IL-6, CCL2, CXCL8) as well as a prominent leukocyte infiltrate. While considerable evidence indicates that the presence of lymphocytes of adaptive immunity may positively influence patient survival and clinical outcome in CRC, the role of tumor-associated macrophages (TAM) and of other lymphoid populations (e.g. Th17, Treg) is still unclear. In this review we will summarize the different and controversial effects that TAM play in CRC-related inflammation and progression of disease. The characterization of the most relevant inflammatory pathways in CRC is instrumental for the identification of new target molecules that could lead to improved diagnosis and treatment.
实验研究和流行病学研究表明，慢性炎症与肿瘤进展之间存在紧密联系。在西方国家，人类结直肠癌（CRC）是癌症相关死亡的主要原因之一，它代表了这种联系的一个范例。CRC中癌症相关炎症的关键特征包括转录因子（如NF-κB、STAT3）的激活、炎性细胞因子和趋化因子（如TNFα、IL-6、CCL2、CXCL8）的表达以及显著的白细胞浸润。虽然大量证据表明适应性免疫淋巴细胞的存在可能对CRC患者的生存和临床结果产生积极影响，但肿瘤相关巨噬细胞（TAM）和其他淋巴细胞群体（如Th17、Treg）的作用仍不清楚。在这篇综述中，我们将总结TAM在CRC相关炎症和疾病进展中所起的不同且有争议的作用。对CRC中最相关炎症途径的特征描述有助于识别可能改善诊断和治疗的新靶分子。
