Abstract
The immune system plays pivotal roles in the occurrence and progression of cancers. As blockade of immune-checkpoint has been proven effective at improving anti-tumor immune response in multiple tumor types, the tumor immunotherapy still faces many challenges. Emerging evidence indicates lymphoid organ-like structures, also called tertiary lymphoid organs (TLOs) or ectopic lymphoid organs (ELOs), have been identified in cancers, as the result of lymphoid neoorganogenesis. The prognostic value of TLOs in cancer patients has been evaluated with debates, however, such well-organized lymphoid structures in the site of cancer indicate TLOs are the important modulators of cancer immunological microenvironment. TLOs have attracted remarkable efforts to investigate their neoorganogenesis and function in immune responses, aiming to develop new strategies for cancer immunotherapy. In this review, we summarize the current understandings about the molecular and cellular mechanisms governing the formation and function of TLOs in immune responses against cancer.
Highlights
In the revised hallmarks of cancer that suggests a conceptual rationale, the importance of tumor microenvironment has been highly appreciated [1]
The immune cells that reside therein and those that migrate to the tumor in response to various signals are the key contributors of the tumor microenvironment [2]
Most of the solid tumors have infiltrating immune cells; the presence of antigen-presenting dendritic cells (DCs) and lymphoid cells in situ indicates that such solid tumors could be recognized as the foreign and elicit an immune response [5]
Summary
In the revised hallmarks of cancer that suggests a conceptual rationale, the importance of tumor microenvironment has been highly appreciated [1]. These B-cells mediate a tumor associated antigen specific antibodies production locally, suggesting the B-cells are involved in the humoral immune response against lung cancer [40]. Immunohistochemical analysis of 82 patients with cutaneous malignant melanoma shows that presence of peritumoral DC-LAMP+ mature DCs combined with OX40+ activated T cells, suggesting a functional immune response, associate with significantly longer survival [44].
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