Agirre-Lizaso Aloña, Huici-Izagirre Maider, Urretabizkaia-Garmendia Josu, Rodrigues Pedro M, Banales Jesus M, Perugorria Maria J
Department of Liver and Gastrointestinal Diseases, Biodonostia Research Institute, Donostia University Hospital, University of the Basque Country (UPV-EHU), 20014 Donostia-San Sebastian, Spain.
Centre for the Study of Liver and Gastrointestinal Diseases (CIBERehd), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), 28029 Madrid, Spain.
Cancers (Basel). 2023 Oct 13;15(20):4977. doi: 10.3390/cancers15204977.
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a prevalent and aggressive cancer that comprises a complex tumour microenvironment (TME). Tumour-associated macrophages (TAMs) are one of the most abundant immune cells present in the TME, and play a key role both in the development and in the progression of HCC. Thus, TAM-based immunotherapy has been presented as a promising strategy to complement the currently available therapies for HCC treatment. Among the novel approaches focusing on TAMs, reprogramming their functional state has emerged as a promising option for targeting TAMs as an immunotherapy in combination with the currently available treatment options. Nevertheless, a further understanding of the immunobiology of TAMs is still required. This review synthesizes current insights into the heterogeneous nature of TAMs in HCC and describes the mechanisms behind their pro-tumoural polarization focusing the attention on their interaction with HCC cells. Furthermore, this review underscores the potential involvement of TAMs' reprogramming in HCC therapy and highlights the urgency of advancing our understanding of these cells within the dynamic landscape of HCC.
肝细胞癌（HCC）是一种常见且侵袭性强的癌症，其肿瘤微环境（TME）复杂。肿瘤相关巨噬细胞（TAM）是TME中最丰富的免疫细胞之一，在HCC的发生和发展中均起关键作用。因此，基于TAM的免疫疗法已成为一种有前景的策略，可补充目前用于HCC治疗的现有疗法。在聚焦于TAM的新方法中，重编程其功能状态已成为一种有前景的选择，可将TAM作为免疫疗法与现有治疗方案联合使用。然而，仍需要进一步了解TAM的免疫生物学。本综述综合了目前对HCC中TAM异质性的见解，并描述了其促肿瘤极化背后的机制，重点关注它们与HCC细胞的相互作用。此外，本综述强调了TAM重编程在HCC治疗中的潜在作用，并突出了在HCC动态背景下加深对这些细胞理解的紧迫性。
