Table 1.
Pro-tumorigenic and anti-tumorigenic effects of immune cells.
| Immune cells | Roles in cancer (anti-tumorigenic and pro-tumorigenic) | References |
|---|---|---|
| Dendritic cells (DC) | Release cytotoxic cytokines Antigen presentation to T cells |
(17) |
| Suppress T cell functions via expression of CTLA-4 Promote tumor growth and progression |
||
| T cells (CD8+, CD4+) | Direct lysis of cancer cells Release cytotoxic cytokines |
(18) |
| Release cancer promoting cytokines | ||
| Treg cells | Inhibit chronic inflammation | (19) |
| Suppress anticancer immune responses Enhancement of pro-inflammatory cytokine production |
||
| Macrophages | Release cytotoxic cytokines Antigen presentation to T cells |
(20) |
| Promote angiogenesis, tumor proliferation, chemotaxis, invasiveness, and metastasis | ||
| Myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSC) | Limited | (21) |
| Release immunosuppressive molecular mediators Suppress T cell functions Recruit immunosuppressive immune cells |
||
| NK cells | Release cytotoxic cytokines Directly kill cancer cells |
(22, 23) |
| Granzyme A expressed on NK cells promotes cancer development by enhancing inflammation | ||
| Mast cells | Inhibit cancer cell growth, increase in inflammatory anti-tumor reaction | (24) |
| Promote cancer growth by stimulation of neoangiogenesis, tissue remodeling and by modulation of the host immune response |