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Review
. 2021 Jul;34(4):1031-1039.
doi: 10.1007/s13577-021-00514-2. Epub 2021 Apr 27.

The role of macrophages in anti-tumor immune responses: pathological significance and potential as therapeutic targets

Hirotake Tsukamoto  1   2 , Yoshihiro Komohara  3 , Hiroyuki Oshiumi  1
Affiliations
Review

The role of macrophages in anti-tumor immune responses: pathological significance and potential as therapeutic targets

Hirotake Tsukamoto et al. Hum Cell. 2021 Jul.

Abstract

Malignant tumors comprise various types of normal cells and tumor cells, and are infiltrated by large numbers of immune cells, including macrophages. The results of numerous studies on the function and significance of intratumoral macrophages (tumor-associated macrophages) suggest that these macrophages generally enhance tumor progression rather than act as anti-tumor immune agents. Although much remains unknown, in this review, we attempt to describe the role of macrophages in the tumor microenvironment, and discuss their potential mechanisms on the recent immunotherapy.

Keywords: Cancer; Immune response; Macrophage; PD-L1; TAM.

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