title: Targeting macrophage anti-tumor activity to suppress melanoma progression.
abstract: By phagocytosing cancer cells and their cellular debris, macrophages play a critical role in nonspecific defense (innate immunity) and, as antigen presenters, they help initiate specific defense mechanisms (adaptive immunity). Malignant melanoma is a lethal disease due to its aggressive capacity for metastasis and resistance to therapy. For decades, considerable effort has gone into development of an effective immunotherapy for treatment of metastatic melanoma. In this review, we focus on the anti-tumor activities of macrophages in melanoma and their potential as therapeutic targets in melanoma. Although macrophages can be re-educated through intercellular signaling to promote tumor survival owing to their plasticity, we expect that targeting the anti-tumor activity of macrophages remains a promising strategy for melanoma inhibition. The combination of tumoricidal macrophage activation and other treatments such as surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy, may provide an effective and comprehensive anti-melanoma strategy.
authors.affiliation: Modern College of Arts and Science, or School of Life Science, Shanxi Normal University, Linfen, China.
authors.forename: Huafeng
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Modern College of Arts and Science, or School of Life Science, Shanxi Normal University, Linfen, China.|Research Center of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China.
authors.forename: Lijuan
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Modern College of Arts and Science, or School of Life Science, Shanxi Normal University, Linfen, China.
authors.forename: Luhong
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Anatomy, Shanxi Medical University, Shanxi Sheng, China.
authors.forename: Chengfang
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Nankai Hospital, Tianjin, China.
authors.forename: Qi
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Modern College of Arts and Science, or School of Life Science, Shanxi Normal University, Linfen, China.
authors.forename: Linjing
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018450:Disease Progression; D016178:Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007167:Immunotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D008264:Macrophages / Q000276:immunology*; D008545:Melanoma / Q000276:immunology* / Q000628:therapy*
chemical_list: D016178:Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor
keywords: GM-CSF; immunoadjuvant agent; macrophage; melanoma