The Role of Macrophages in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Eleni Marina Kalogirou,Panagiotis F Christopoulos,Konstantinos I Tosios

doi:10.3389/fonc.2021.611115

Abstract

Oral cancer is a common malignancy worldwide, with high disease-related death rates. Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) accounts for more than 90% of oral tumors, with surgical management remaining the treatment of choice. However, advanced and metastatic OSCC is still incurable. Thus, emphasis has been given lately in understanding the complex role of the oral tumor microenvironment (TME) in OSCC progression, in order to identify novel prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets. Tumor associated macrophages (TAMs) constitute a major population of the OSCC TME, with bipolar role in disease progression depending on their activation status (M1 vs. M2). Here, we provide an up to date review of the current literature on the role of macrophages during oral oncogenesis, as well as their prognostic significance in OSCC survival and response to standard treatment regimens. Finally, we discuss novel concepts regarding the potential use of macrophages as targets for OSCC immunotherapeutics and suggest future directions in the field.

Highlights

The global incidence of oral cancer was 377,713 new cases during 2020 [1], with a tendency for increasing occurrence even in countries where it is less common, such as Finland and Denmark [2, 3]
We review the literature on the role of macrophages in Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), focusing on their pro-tumor and anti-tumor properties, as well as their prognostic significance for patients’ survival and response to standard treatment regimens
The epidermal growth factor (EGF)-mediated pro-tumor role of Tumor associated macrophages (TAMs) in OSCC has been highlighted in a study showing increased cell proliferation and invasion of OSCC cells co-cultured with TAMs-derived conditioned medium, while the proliferation and invasion activity was hampered after cancer cell treatments with an anti-EGF receptor antibody [34]

Summary

Introduction

The global incidence of oral cancer was 377,713 new cases during 2020 [1], with a tendency for increasing occurrence even in countries where it is less common, such as Finland and Denmark [2, 3]. The EGF-mediated pro-tumor role of TAMs in OSCC has been highlighted in a study showing increased cell proliferation and invasion of OSCC cells co-cultured with TAMs-derived conditioned medium, while the proliferation and invasion activity was hampered after cancer cell treatments with an anti-EGF receptor antibody [34].

Results

Conclusion