Neutrophils as Orchestrators in Tumor Development and Metastasis Formation

Lydia Kalafati; Ioannis Mitroulis; Panayotis Verginis; Triantafyllos Chavakis; Ioannis Kourtzelis

doi:10.3389/fonc.2020.581457

Neutrophils as Orchestrators in Tumor Development and Metastasis Formation

Front Oncol. 2020 Dec 10:10:581457. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2020.581457. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Lydia Kalafati^{1

2}, Ioannis Mitroulis^{2

3}, Panayotis Verginis^{4

5}, Triantafyllos Chavakis¹, Ioannis Kourtzelis⁶

Affiliations

¹ Institute for Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, University Hospital and Faculty of Medicine, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
² National Center for Tumor Diseases, Partner Site Dresden and German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany.
³ Department of Hematology and Laboratory of Molecular Hematology, Department of Medicine, Democritus University of Thrace, Alexandroupolis, Greece.
⁴ University of Crete, School of Medicine, Heraklion, Greece.
⁵ Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas, Heraklion, Crete, Greece.
⁶ York Biomedical Research Institute, Hull York Medical School, University of York, York, United Kingdom.

Abstract

Several lines of clinical and experimental evidence suggest that immune cell plasticity is a central player in tumorigenesis, tumor progression, and metastasis formation. Neutrophils are able to promote or inhibit tumor growth. Through their interaction with tumor cells or their crosstalk with other immune cell subsets in the tumor microenvironment, they modulate tumor cell survival. Here, we summarize current knowledge with regards to the mechanisms that underlie neutrophil-mediated effects on tumor establishment and metastasis development. We also discuss the tumor-mediated effects on granulopoiesis and neutrophil precursors in the bone marrow and the involvement of neutrophils in anti-tumor therapeutic modalities.

Keywords: cancer-dependent granulopoiesis; immune modulation; innate immune memory; metastasis; neutrophil; trained granulopoiesis; trained immunity; tumor.

Publication types

Review