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Review
. 2019 May 7;11(5):633.
doi: 10.3390/cancers11050633.

Macrophages in Colorectal Cancer Liver Metastases

Nina Cortese  1 , Cristiana Soldani  2 , Barbara Franceschini  3 , Marialuisa Barbagallo  4 , Federica Marchesi  5   6 , Guido Torzilli  7   8 , Matteo Donadon  9   10
Affiliations
Review

Macrophages in Colorectal Cancer Liver Metastases

Nina Cortese et al. Cancers (Basel). .

Abstract

Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) provide a nurturing microenvironment for metastasis and are concomitantly key determinants of the efficacy of anticancer strategies. TAM represent an extremely heterogeneous population in terms of cell morphology, functions, and tissue localization. Colorectal liver metastases (CLM) display a high heterogeneity, responsible for a wide array of clinical presentations and responsiveness to treatments. In the era of precision medicine, there is a critical need of reliable prognostic markers to improve patient stratification, and, for their predominance in metastatic tissues, TAMs are emerging as promising candidates.

Keywords: colorectal liver metastases; immune landscape; macrophages.

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Conflict of interest statement

Authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Forest plot showing significant prediction for survival in multivariate regression analysis of different clinical studies on colorectal cancer. HR, Hazard Ratio; 95% CI 95%, confidence interval. Hazard ratios <1.00 represent a decreased probability of death, hazard ratios >1.00 represent an increased probability of death; p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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