Department of Colorectal Surgery, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, National Cancer Center, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100021, China.
Department of Thoracic Surgery, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, National Cancer Center, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100021, China.
Mol Cancer. 2024 Nov 8;23(1):251. doi: 10.1186/s12943-024-02156-y.
Regulatory T cells (Tregs), an essential component of the human immune system, are a heterogeneous group of T lymphocytes with the ability to suppress immune responses and maintain immune homeostasis. Recent evidence indicates that Tregs may impair antitumor immunity and facilitate cancer progression by weakening functions of effector T cells (Teffs). Consequently, targeting Tregs to eliminate them from tumor microenvironments to improve Teffs' activity could emerge as an effective strategy for cancer immunotherapy. This review outlines the biology of Tregs, detailing their origins, classification, and crucial markers. Our focus lies on the complex role of Tregs in cancer's development, progression and treatment, particularly on their suppressive role upon antitumor responses via multiple mechanisms. We delve into Tregs' involvement in immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy, their dual effect on cancer immunotherapy and their potential biomarkers for ICB therapy effectiveness. We also summarize advances in the therapies that adjust Tregs to optimize ICB therapy, which may be crucial for devising innovative cancer treatment strategies.
调节性 T 细胞（Tregs）是人体免疫系统的重要组成部分，是一群具有抑制免疫反应和维持免疫稳态能力的异质性 T 淋巴细胞。最近的证据表明，Tregs 通过削弱效应 T 细胞（Teffs）的功能可能会损害抗肿瘤免疫并促进癌症进展。因此，靶向 Tregs 以消除其在肿瘤微环境中的作用，从而提高 Teffs 的活性，可能成为癌症免疫治疗的有效策略。本综述概述了 Tregs 的生物学特性，详细介绍了其起源、分类和关键标志物。我们的重点是 Tregs 在癌症发展、进展和治疗中的复杂作用，特别是它们通过多种机制对抗肿瘤反应的抑制作用。我们深入探讨了 Tregs 在免疫检查点阻断（ICB）治疗中的参与，它们对癌症免疫治疗的双重影响以及它们作为 ICB 治疗效果的潜在生物标志物。我们还总结了调节 Tregs 以优化 ICB 治疗的疗法进展，这对于制定创新的癌症治疗策略可能至关重要。
