title: Macrophage polarization in tumour progression.
abstract: Macrophages are a fundamental part of the innate defense mechanisms, which can promote specific immunity by inducing T cell recruitment and activation. Despite this, their presence within the tumour microenvironment has been associated with enhanced tumour progression and shown to promote cancer cell growth and spread, angiogenesis and immunosuppression. This paradoxical role of macrophages in cancer finds an explanation in their functional plasticity, that may result in the polarized expression of either pro- or anti-tumoural functions. Key players in the setting of their phenotype are the microenvironmental signals to which macrophages are exposed, which selectively tune their functions within a functional spectrum encompassing the M1 and M2 extremes. Here, we discuss recent findings suggesting that targeting tumour-associated macrophages (TAMs) polarization may represent a novel therapeutic strategy against cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Inflammation and Immunology, Fondazione Humanitas per la Ricerca, 20089 Rozzano, Milan, Italy. antonio.sica@humanitas.it
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sica
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Larghi
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mancino
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rubino
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Porta
authors.forename: Maria Grazia
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Totaro
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rimoldi
authors.forename: Subhra Kumar
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Biswas
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Allavena
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mantovani
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016207:Cytokines / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D018450:Disease Progression; D006801:Humans; D007110:Immunity, Active; D007249:Inflammation / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D008262:Macrophage Activation; D008264:Macrophages / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology*; D009000:Monocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology* / Q000503:physiopathology*
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins