Tumor-Associated Macrophages in Bladder Cancer: Biological Role, Impact on Therapeutic Response and Perspectives for Immunotherapy

Marine Leblond (1) , Hana Zdimerova (2) , Emma Desponds (2) , Grégory Verdeil (2)

1 CERVOxy - Hypoxie, physiopathologies cérébrovasculaire et tumorale
2 UNIL - Université de Lausanne = University of Lausanne

Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are one of the most abundant infiltrating immunecells of solid tumors. Despite their possible dual role, i.e., pro- or anti-tumoral, there is considerableevidence showing that the accumulation of TAMs promotes tumor progression rather than slowing it.Several strategies are being developed and clinically tested to target these cells. Bladder cancer (BCa)is one of the most common cancers, and despite heavy treatments, including immune checkpointinhibitors (ICIs), the overall patient survival for advanced BCa is still poor. TAMs are present inbladder tumors and play a significant role in BCa development. However, few investigations haveanalyzed the effect of targeting TAMs in BCa. In this review, we focus on the importance of TAMs in acancerous bladder, their association with patient outcome and treatment efficiency as well as on howcurrent BCa treatments impact these cells. We also report different strategies used in other cancertypes to develop new immunotherapeutic strategies with the aim of improving BCa managementthrough TAMs targeting

Mots clés: macrophages; bladder cancer; macrophage-targeting immunotherapy

Domaines: Sciences du Vivant [q-bio]

Marine Leblond, Hana Zdimerova, Emma Desponds, Grégory Verdeil. Tumor-Associated Macrophages in Bladder Cancer: Biological Role, Impact on Therapeutic Response and Perspectives for Immunotherapy. Cancers, 2021, 13 (18), pp.4712. ⟨10.3390/cancers13184712⟩. ⟨hal-03358639⟩