CCL2/CCR2 Axis Promotes the Progression of Salivary Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma via Recruiting and Reprogramming the Tumor-Associated Macrophages

Conclusion: These new findings indicated that the CCL2/CCR2 axis promoted the progression of SACC cells via recruiting and reprogramming TAMs. Targeting TAMs by blocking the CCL2/CCR2 axis might be a prospective strategy for SACC therapy. Introduction Salivary adenoid cystic carcinoma (SACC) is one of the most commonly diagnosed salivary gland malignancies, accounting for about 10% of all salivary gland neoplasms (1, 2). The typical characteristics of SACC include the recurrent growth, aggressive invasion, hematogenous metastasis, and chemotherapy refractory (2–4). Despite the great efforts paid in the treatment of SACC, the long-term prognosis of patients suffering SACC is still pessimistic (4, 5). Therefore, a better understanding of the molecular mechanism is needed to illuminate the aggressive behavior and guide the development of novel therapies for SACC. Tumor microenvironment consists of complex cellular ecology that establishes the potential of the neoplasm (6). Substantial evidences demonstrated that the macrophages could be recruited and activated by the tumor cells (7–9). Macrophages that infiltrate into the malignant tumors are referred to as the tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), which closely related to the progression and the prognosis of the malignancies (9, 10). TAMs were found to accelarate the growth, invasion, and metastasis of multiple malignancies, including lung cancer, breast cancer, and the hepatocellular carcinoma (7, 10, 1...
Source: Frontiers in Oncology - Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: research