Department of Immunology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, Tampa, FL.
Department of Molecular Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL.
Blood Adv. 2023 Jun 13;7(11):2401-2417. doi: 10.1182/bloodadvances.2022008985.
T helper 17 (Th17) cells have a prominent role in autoimmune diseases. In contrast, the nature of these cells in cancer is controversial, with either pro- or antitumorigenic activities depending on various cancer settings. Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), a B-cell malignancy, is characterized by an imbalance in T-cell immune responses that contributes to disease progression and increased mortality. Many clinical reports indicate an increase in Th17 cells and/or interleukin 17 serum cytokine levels in patients with CLL compared with healthy individuals, which correlates with various prognostic markers and significant changes in the tumor microenvironment. The exact mechanisms by which Th17 cells might contribute to CLL progression remain poorly investigated. In this review, we provide an updated presentation of the clinical information related to the significance of Th17 cells in CLL and their interaction with the complex leukemic microenvironment, including various mediators, immune cells, and nonimmune cells. We also address the available data regarding the effects of CLL-targeted therapies on Th17 cells and the potential of using these cells in adoptive cell therapies. Having a sound understanding of the role played by Th17 cells in CLL is crucial for designing novel therapies that can achieve immune homeostasis and maximize clinical benefits.
辅助性 T 细胞 17(Th17)细胞在自身免疫性疾病中发挥着重要作用。相比之下,这些细胞在癌症中的性质存在争议,其具有促进或抑制肿瘤发生的活性,具体取决于各种癌症环境。慢性淋巴细胞白血病(CLL)是一种 B 细胞恶性肿瘤,其特征是 T 细胞免疫反应失衡,导致疾病进展和死亡率增加。许多临床报告表明,与健康个体相比,CLL 患者的 Th17 细胞和/或白细胞介素 17 血清细胞因子水平增加,这与各种预后标志物和肿瘤微环境的显著变化相关。Th17 细胞可能促进 CLL 进展的确切机制仍未得到充分研究。在这篇综述中,我们提供了与 Th17 细胞在 CLL 中的意义及其与复杂白血病微环境相互作用相关的临床信息的最新介绍,包括各种介质、免疫细胞和非免疫细胞。我们还讨论了关于 CLL 靶向治疗对 Th17 细胞的影响以及在过继细胞治疗中使用这些细胞的潜力的现有数据。深入了解 Th17 细胞在 CLL 中的作用对于设计能够实现免疫平衡并最大限度地提高临床获益的新型疗法至关重要。