Tumor-directed dysregulation of erythroid progenitors drives immunosuppressive myeloid cells.

In this issue of Cancer Cell, Long et al. demonstrate that tumors can reprogram erythroid progenitors into myeloid-erythroid cells that promote immunosuppression. Erythroid-differentiated myeloid cells (EDMCs) expand in cancer-bearing individuals, resemble the functionality of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), and correlate with poor response to immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) and tumor-related anemia.