Linking tumour angiogenesis and tumour immunity

Abstract

Immune checkpoint blockade therapy has revolutionized the treatment of metastatic and solid tumours, achieving durable responses in a subset of patients. However, most patients do not respond to immune checkpoint blockade, underscoring the critical need to better understand the determinants of therapeutic efficacy. A key obstacle to effective antitumour immune responses is the abnormal structure and function of tumour-associated blood vessels, which impede immune cell infiltration and contribute to the development of an immunosuppressive tumour microenvironment. Current research highlights the inverse correlation between angiogenesis and immune activity within the tumour microenvironment. In this Review, we discuss tumour angiogenesis in the context of tumour immunity, examining how this affects tumour progression and immunotherapy outcomes. We examine the molecular mechanisms underlying the crosstalk between angiogenesis and tumour immunity and discuss emerging anti-angiogenic regulators that hold potential for combination therapies. By integrating insights from preclinical and clinical studies, we outline future research directions to address current challenges and optimize cancer treatment strategies through combined anti-angiogenic and immunotherapeutic approaches.