Kureshi Courtney T, Dougan Stephanie K
Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Program in Immunology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Program in Immunology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Cancer Cell. 2025 Jan 13;43(1):15-35. doi: 10.1016/j.ccell.2024.11.011. Epub 2024 Dec 12.
Cytokines are proteins used by immune cells to communicate with each other and with cells in their environment. The pleiotropic effects of cytokine networks are determined by which cells express cytokines and which cells express cytokine receptors, with downstream outcomes that can differ based on cell type and environmental cues. Certain cytokines, such as interferon (IFN)-γ, have been clearly linked to anti-tumor immunity, while others, such as the innate inflammatory cytokines, promote oncogenesis. Here we provide an overview of the functional roles of cytokines in the tumor microenvironment. Although we have a sophisticated understanding of cytokine networks, therapeutically targeting cytokine pathways in cancer has been challenging. We discuss current progress in cytokine blockade, cytokine-based therapies, and engineered cytokine therapeutics as emerging cancer treatments of interest.
细胞因子是免疫细胞用来相互交流以及与周围环境中的细胞进行交流的蛋白质。细胞因子网络的多效性作用取决于哪些细胞表达细胞因子以及哪些细胞表达细胞因子受体，其下游结果会因细胞类型和环境信号而异。某些细胞因子，如干扰素（IFN）-γ，已被明确与抗肿瘤免疫相关联，而其他细胞因子，如先天性炎症细胞因子，则促进肿瘤发生。在此，我们概述细胞因子在肿瘤微环境中的功能作用。尽管我们对细胞因子网络有深入的了解，但在癌症治疗中靶向细胞因子途径一直具有挑战性。我们讨论了细胞因子阻断、基于细胞因子的疗法以及工程化细胞因子疗法作为新兴的癌症治疗方法的当前进展。
