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The pleiotropic mode and molecular mechanism of macrophages in promoting tumor progression and metastasis

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Abstract

Macrophages are the most abundant immune cells in primary and metastatic tumor tissues. Studies have shown that macrophages mainly exhibit a tumor-promoting phenotype and play a key role in tumor progression and metastasis. Therefore, many macrophage-targeted drugs have entered clinical trials. However, compared to preclinical studies, some clinical trial results showed that macrophage-targeted therapy did not achieve the desired effect. This may be because most of what we know about macrophages comes from in vitro experiments and animal models, while macrophages in the more complex human microenvironment are still poorly understood. With the development of technologies such as single-cell RNA sequencing, we have gained a new understanding of the origin, classification and functional mechanism of tumor-associated macrophages. Therefore, this study reviewed the recent progress of macrophages in promoting tumor progression and metastasis, aiming to provide some help for the formulation of optimal strategies for macrophage-targeted therapy.

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Funding

This work was supported by the key research and development (R&D) projects of Gansu Province (Grant no. 17YF1FA126); Lanzhou Science and Technology Bureau Medical and Health Project (Grant no. 2021–90); Special fund project for doctoral training program of Lanzhou University Second Hospital (Grant no. YJS-BD-25); and CuiYing Science and Technology Innovation plan project of Lanzhou University Second Hospital (Grant no. CY2017-BJ05)

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  1. Department of Urology, Institute of Urology, Gansu Nephro-Urological Clinical Center, Key Laboratory of Urological Diseases in Gansu Province, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Lanzhou, 730030, Gansu, China

    Xingxing Zhang, Hualan Ha, Yuelin Du, Wei Xiong, Hongbo Wang & Panfeng Shang

  2. Ultrasonic Special Examination Department, Tai An TSCM Hospital, Taian, 271000, Shandong, China

    Wenxiu Bai & Lisha Hu

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S-PF had the idea for the article. S-PF and H-HL performed the literature search and data analysis. Z-XX, B-WX, H-LS, D-YL, X-W, W-HB and S-PF drafted and/or critically revised the work. Z-XX, B-WX and H-LS drawed figures. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Zhang, X., Bai, W., Hu, L. et al. The pleiotropic mode and molecular mechanism of macrophages in promoting tumor progression and metastasis. Clin Transl Oncol 25, 91–104 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12094-022-02932-6

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