靶向肝癌肿瘤相关巨噬细胞的基础和临床的治疗手段

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) most often develops in patients with liver disease characterized by chronic non-resolving inflammation. The inflammatory response is mainly derived from innate immune cells, and tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) play an important role in the development of tumors.It is usually chemotactic from mononuclear progenitor cells in the blood to tumor tissue, then is induced by the tumor microenvironment and further develops into TAMs. They play an important role in promoting tumor growth, angiogenesis and tumor invasion and inducing tumor tissues to form an environment without inhibition mechanisms. As the relationship between TAMs and malignant tumors becomes clearer, TAMs are beginning to be seen as therapeutic targets. The heterogeneity of TAM subtypes and their origin and dynamic phenotype during the initiation and progression of HCC has been partially unraveled. It further forms the base for developing therapeutic agents by decreasing the population of TAMs via blocking recruitment of bone marrow-derived monocytes and functionally reprograms TAMs to anti-tumoral behavior. This review focuses on the preclinical evolution and hitherto clinical trials for TAM-targeted therapy in HCC.