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. 2021 May 27;15:2269–2287. doi: 10.2147/DDDT.S308578

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© 2021 Qiu et al.

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Varied roles of cytokines involved in anticancer immunity. Different cytokines determine naïve CD4⁺ T cell fate to Tregs, Th17, Th1 or Th2, and further regulate anticancer immunity. IL-12, IL-18, IL-1, IL-10 and IL-11 secreted by dendritic cells (DCs) drive Th1 or Th2 cell differentiation. TGF-β, IL-11, IL-6, and IL-21 are important signals for Treg and Th17 cell differentiation. IFN-γ, IL-2, IL-15, and IL-7 secreted by Th1 cells enhance the anticancer effects of cytotoxic T lymphocytes, NK cells, B cells, and macrophages, which can be suppressed by IL-4, IL-13, and IL-10 secreted by Th2 and Treg cells. IL-17 secreted by Th17 cells play a role in the induction of cancer-promoting anticancer inflammation by MDSCs. VEGF and TNF-α promote cancer progression by facilitating angiogenesis. Cytokines functions are shown in text boxes; those that promote anticancer immunity are in red while those that inhibit anticancer immunity are in black.