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Involvement of eosinophils in the anti-tumor response

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Abstract

Eosinophils have long been associated with allergy and parasitic infections. Today, they are considered as multifunctional leukocytes, which participate both in innate and adaptive immune response though the expression of various receptors and mediators. Although the tumor-associated eosinophilia is observed for a long time in many hematological and solid malignancies, with a generally good prognosis value, there is a lack of knowledge on the different mechanisms involved in this phenomenon. Moreover, the recent discovery in human eosinophils of different receptors and mediators, shared with lymphocytes and involved in anti-tumor defense, suggests that eosinophils can play a role in anti-tumoral immunity. We review in the present paper the current knowledge on epidemiology, recruitment, and mechanisms involved in the response of eosinophils toward tumors.

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Abbreviations

DAMP:

Damage-associated molecular pattern molecule

ECP:

Eosinophil cationic protein

EDN:

Eosinophil-derived neurotoxin

EPO:

Eosinophil peroxidase

HL:

Hodgkin’s Lymphoma

HMGB1:

High-mobility group box 1

IL:

Interleukin

MBP:

Major basic protein

RAGE:

Receptor for advanced glycation end products

ROS:

Reactive oxygen species

SCC:

Squamous cell carcinoma

TATE:

Tumor-associated tissue eosinophilia

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Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

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Author notes

  1. Fanny Legrand

    Present address: Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. U995 Inserm- Université Lille 2 Faculté de Médecine Pôle Recherche, 59800, Lille, France

    Solène Gatault, Fanny Legrand, Marie Delbeke, Sylvie Loiseau & Monique Capron

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  1. Solène Gatault
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  2. Fanny Legrand
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Correspondence to Solène Gatault.

Additional information

This paper is part of the Symposium in Writing: AllergoOncology: The Role of Th2 responses in cancer.

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Gatault, S., Legrand, F., Delbeke, M. et al. Involvement of eosinophils in the anti-tumor response. Cancer Immunol Immunother 61, 1527–1534 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00262-012-1288-3

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