Biology and therapeutic targeting of tumour‐associated macrophages
Tim Beltraminelli, Michele De Palma
Abstract
Macrophages sustain tumour progression by facilitating angiogenesis, promoting immunosuppression, and enhancing cancer cell invasion and metastasis. They also modulate tumour response to anti-cancer therapy in pre-clinical models. This knowledge has motivated the development of agents that target tumour-associated macrophages (TAMs), some of which have been investigated in early clinical trials. Here, we provide a comprehensive overview of the biology and therapeutic targeting of TAMs, highlighting opportunities, setbacks, and new challenges that have emerged after a decade of intense translational and clinical research into these multifaceted immune cells. © 2020 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.