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Understanding the tumor microenvironment for effective immunotherapy
Author(s) -
Sadeghi Rad Habib,
Monkman James,
Warkiani Majid E.,
Ladwa Rahul,
O'Byrne Ken,
Rezaei Nima,
Kulasinghe Arutha
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
medicinal research reviews
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.868
H-Index - 130
eISSN - 1098-1128
pISSN - 0198-6325
DOI - 10.1002/med.21765
Subject(s) - tumor microenvironment , immune system , immunotherapy , context (archaeology) , tumor progression , biology , immune checkpoint , immunity , cancer research , immunology , cancer , paleontology , genetics
Advances in immunotherapy have led to durable and long‐term benefits in a subset of patients across a number of solid tumor types. Understanding of the subsets of patients that respond to immune checkpoint inhibitors at the cellular level, and in the context of their tumor microenvironment (TME) is becoming increasingly important. The TME is composed of a heterogeneous milieu of tumor and immune cells. The immune landscape of the TME can inhibit or promote tumor initiation and progression; thus, a deeper understanding of tumor immunity is necessary to develop immunotherapeutic strategies. Recent developments have focused on characterizing the TME immune contexture (type, density, and function) to discover mechanisms and biomarkers that may predict treatment outcomes. This has, in part, been powered by advancements in spatial characterization technologies. In this review article, we address the role of specific immune cells within the TME at various stages of tumor progression and how the immune contexture determinants affecting tumor growth are used therapeutically.