Department of Experimental Medicine (DIMES) and Centre of Excellence for Biomedical Research (CEBR), University of Genoa, 16132 Genoa, Italy.
Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, 25123 Brescia, Italy.
Int J Mol Sci. 2019 Feb 19;20(4):890. doi: 10.3390/ijms20040890.
The crosstalk between cancer cells and host cells is a crucial prerequisite for tumor growth and progression. The cells from both the innate and adaptive immune systems enter into a perverse relationship with tumor cells to create a tumor-promoting and immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC), the most lethal of all gynecological malignancies, is characterized by a unique TME that paves the way to the formation of metastasis and mediates therapy resistance through the deregulation of immune surveillance. A characteristic feature of the ovarian cancer TME is the ascites/peritoneal fluid, a malignancy-associated effusion occurring at more advanced stages, which enables the peritoneal dissemination of tumor cells and the formation of metastasis. The standard therapy for EOC involves a combination of debulking surgery and platinum-based chemotherapy. However, most patients experience disease recurrence. New therapeutic strategies are needed to improve the prognosis of patients with advanced EOC. Harnessing the body's natural immune defenses against cancer in the form of immunotherapy is emerging as an innovative treatment strategy. NK cells have attracted attention as a promising cancer immunotherapeutic target due to their ability to kill malignant cells and avoid healthy cells. Here, we will discuss the recent advances in the clinical application of NK cell immunotherapy in EOC.
癌细胞与宿主细胞之间的串扰是肿瘤生长和进展的关键前提。先天和适应性免疫系统的细胞与肿瘤细胞形成一种反常的关系，从而形成促进肿瘤生长和抑制免疫的肿瘤微环境（TME）。上皮性卵巢癌（EOC）是所有妇科恶性肿瘤中最致命的一种，其特征是独特的 TME，为转移的形成铺平了道路，并通过免疫监视的失调介导治疗耐药性。卵巢癌 TME 的一个特征是腹水/腹腔液，这是一种发生在更晚期的与恶性肿瘤相关的渗出液，它使肿瘤细胞腹膜扩散和转移的形成成为可能。EOC 的标准治疗包括肿瘤细胞减灭术和铂类化疗的联合治疗。然而，大多数患者会经历疾病复发。需要新的治疗策略来改善晚期 EOC 患者的预后。以免疫疗法的形式利用机体对癌症的天然免疫防御能力正成为一种创新的治疗策略。NK 细胞因其能够杀死恶性细胞而不伤害健康细胞的能力而引起了人们的关注，作为一种有前途的癌症免疫治疗靶点。在这里，我们将讨论 NK 细胞免疫疗法在 EOC 中的临床应用的最新进展。
