TAM: A Moving Clinical Target

Abstract

The preceding chapters bear witness to the extensive research undertaken to describe and better understand the roles of TAM, and the molecular mechanisms that contribute to these roles. Successfully translating this knowledge into effective clinical applications is an enormous challenge. Even in the setting of an individual with malignant disease, the majority of macrophages in the body are likely to be performing beneficial, physiological functions. Furthermore, within and surrounding tumours themselves, different macrophage populations are described with various phenotypes, only some of which may be considered maladaptive from the point of view of patient survival. The inherent plasticity of macrophage phenotype adds a further layer of complexity, such that the challenge includes not only targeting the right macrophages in the right place but also at the right time. Whilst certain functional characteristics of TAM appear common in different tumours, distinct differences are well-described, and so optimal approaches are likely to differ depending upon the specific cancer diagnosis. The following review reveals that despite these vast challenges, both established and novel clinical agents exist, which either directly target or indirectly exploit, the presence of TAM.