Blocking ovarian cancer progression by targeting tumor microenvironmental leukocytes

Cell Cycle. 2010 Jan 15;9(2):260-8. doi: 10.4161/cc.9.2.10430. Epub 2010 Jan 26.

Abstract

Current therapies for metastatic ovarian carcinoma are based on surgical debulking followed by chemotherapy. After more than three decades implementing treatments that selectively target the tumor cell, the 5-year survival rate for metastatic ovarian cancer patients is still lower than 30%. Novel strategies are therefore urgently needed to complement classical treatments for this malignancy. Recently, leukocytes in the ovarian cancer microenvironment such as regulatory T cells and immature pro-angiogenic/tolerogenic myeloid cells have been demonstrated to play a fundamental role in tumor progression. This review focuses on our recent understanding of the potential of eliminating and/or modulating the phenotype of these leukocytes in vivo and in situ as a novel intervention to complement standard ovarian cancer treatments. The significant effects of targeting these crucial microenvironmental players on cancer vascularization, local tumor growth, distal metastatic spreading and spontaneous anti-tumor immune responses are discussed.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Arginase / metabolism
  • Carcinoma / immunology*
  • Carcinoma / secondary
  • Carcinoma / therapy*
  • Dendritic Cells / drug effects
  • Dendritic Cells / immunology
  • Disease Progression
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Indoleamine-Pyrrole 2,3,-Dioxygenase / metabolism
  • Interleukin-10 / metabolism
  • Leukocytes / immunology*
  • Ovarian Neoplasms / immunology*
  • Ovarian Neoplasms / pathology
  • Ovarian Neoplasms / therapy*
  • T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / drug effects
  • T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / immunology
  • Transforming Growth Factor beta / metabolism

Substances

  • Indoleamine-Pyrrole 2,3,-Dioxygenase
  • Transforming Growth Factor beta
  • Interleukin-10
  • Arginase