IL-10 in cancer: an essential thermostatic regulator between homeostatic immunity and inflammation – a comprehensive review
Kathrine S Rallis, Amber Elyse Corrigan, Hashim Dadah, Justas Stanislovas, Parisa Zamani, Shania Makker, Bernadett Szabados, Michail Sideris
Abstract
Cytokines are soluble proteins that mediate intercellular signaling regulating immune and inflammatory responses. Cytokine modulation represents a promising cancer immunotherapy approach for immune-mediated tumor regression. However, redundancy in cytokine signaling and cytokines' pleiotropy, narrow therapeutic window, systemic toxicity, short half-life and limited efficacy represent outstanding challenges for cytokine-based cancer immunotherapies. Recently, there has been interest in the paradoxical role of IL-10 in cancer, its controversial prognostic utility and novel strategies to enhance its therapeutic profile. Here, the authors review the literature surrounding the role of IL-10 within the tumor microenvironment, its prognostic correlates to cancer patient outcomes and its pro- and antitumor effects, and they assess the legitimacy of potential therapeutic strategies harnessing IL-10 by outlining the notable preclinical and clinical evidence to date.