Role of myeloid cells in the tumor microenvironment

Abstract

The dynamic interplay between tumor cells and immune cells in the microenvironment plays a crucial role in determining disease severity and therapeutic outcome in cancer. Myeloid cells are the most abundantly available cell population in the tumor microenvironment. Myeloid cells have been shown to exist in diverse phenotypes and play both antitumoral and protumoral roles in cancer. Understanding the biology of myeloid cells can lay the foundation for the development of therapeutic strategies aimed at enhancing the antitumoral role of myeloid cells. This article presents an overview of the role of myeloid cells in tumor development and various mechanisms by which myeloid cells aid tumor progression. Existing drugs against cancer that utilize myeloid cells and the role of myeloid cells in drug resistance are also discussed.

Keywords

Myeloid cells / tumor / cancer / tumor microenvironment / tumor-associated macrophages / dendritic cells / tumor-associated neutrophils / myeloid-derived suppressor cells

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