Targeting tumor-associated macrophages in cancer therapy and understanding their complexity

Oncoimmunology. 2014 Dec 13;3(9):e955356. doi: 10.4161/21624011.2014.955356. eCollection 2014 Oct.

Abstract

Macrophage infiltration has been identified as an independent, poor prognostic factor for patients afflicted with various cancer entities. However, the characterization of tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) prior to and following cancer patient treatment has been limited. Our study analyzed tumor biopsies before and after anti-CSF-1R antibody treatment unraveling the nature of TAMs and providing novel insights into their phenotypic and functional characteristics in cancer.

Keywords: CSF-1R; RG7155; TAM depletion; myeloid cells; tumor-associated macrophages.