Immune cells in cancer

Macrophages are immune cells capable of shifting their behavior in response to signals in their local environment, a process called polarization, which allows them to either promote or suppress inflammation depending on context. Inside tumors, these cells — often called tumor-associated macrophages — are frequently reprogrammed by the tumor microenvironment to tolerate rather than attack cancer cells, and they can cooperate with other immunosuppressive populations such as myeloid-derived suppressor cells to help tumors evade the immune system. Researchers are working to understand what drives this reprogramming, including the metabolic changes that accompany different activation states and the extent to which tissue origin and developmental history shape a macrophage's plasticity. A central open question is whether and how these cells can be therapeutically redirected toward states that support anti-tumor immunity without triggering harmful systemic inflammation.

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Keywords

MacrophageActivationPolarizationTumor-associatedMonocytesMyeloid-derived suppressor cells