title: Pathways connecting inflammation and cancer.
abstract: Chronic and persistent inflammation contributes to cancer development and can predispose to carcinogenesis. Infection-driven inflammations are involved in the pathogenesis of approximately 15-20% of human tumors. However, even tumors that are not epidemiologically linked to pathogens are characterized by the presence of an inflammatory component in their microenvironment. Hallmarks of cancer-associated inflammation include the presence of infiltrating leukocytes, cytokines, chemokines, growth factors, lipid messengers, and matrix-degrading enzymes. Schematically, two interrelated pathways link inflammation and cancer: (1) genetic events leading to neoplastic transformation promote the construction of an inflammatory milieu; (2) tumor-infiltrating leukocytes, in particular macrophages, are prime regulators of cancer inflammation. Thus, an intrinsic pathway of inflammation (driven in tumor cells), as well as an extrinsic pathway (in tumor-infiltrating leukocytes) have been described and both contribute to tumor progression.
authors.affiliation: Istituto Clinico Humanitas IRCCS, Via Manzoni 56, 20089 Rozzano, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Allavena
authors.forename: Cecilia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Garlanda
authors.forename: Maria Grazia
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Borrello
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sica
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mantovani
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000150:complications*; D008264:Macrophages / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D009857:Oncogenes; D015398:Signal Transduction