Abstract
Macrophages are one of the most common infiltrating immune cells and an essential component of tumor microenvironment. Macrophages and the soluble cytokines and chemokines produced play an important role in tumorigenesis, progression, invasion and metastasis in solid tumors. Despite the multiple studies in other solid tumors, there is little known about macrophages in pituitary adenomas. Recently, studies about pituitary adenoma-infiltrated macrophages have been emerging, including the immunohistochemical and immunophenotypic analysis of the pituitary adenomas and further studies into the mechanism of the crosstalk between macrophages and tumor cells in vivo and in vitro. These studies have offered us new insights into the polarization of macrophages and its role in tumorigenesis, progression and invasion of pituitary adenomas. This review describes the advances in the field of pituitary adenoma-infiltrated macrophages and the prospect of targeting macrophages as cancer therapy in pituitary adenoma.
Highlights
Pituitary adenoma (PA) is a common brain tumor with a prevalence of 1/865 to 1/2688 according to a study in 2014 [1,2,3]
A study with a larger sample size supports the conclusion that PRL-secreting adenomas are more highly infiltrated by macrophages, while adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)-secreting adenomas, gonadotrophin cell adenomas or nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas (NFPAs) are infiltrated to a lesser extent [35]
Similar to what is observed in other solid tumors, macrophages in the PA-TME promote the progression of PA cells through multiple mechanisms
Summary
Pituitary adenoma (PA) is a common brain tumor with a prevalence of 1/865 to 1/2688 according to a study in 2014 [1,2,3]. Further studies are needed to find more effective therapies for dopamine agonist-resistant prolactinomas, invasive PAs and refractory PAs. The tumor microenvironment (TME) consists of tumor cells, immune cells, mesenchymal cells, enzymes, growth factors, cytokines and chemokines within the extracellular matrix (ECM) and plays an important role in tumorigenesis, progression and metastasis in solid tumors [14]. Studies on pituitary adenoma-infiltrating macrophages have emerged, which provide new insights into the polarization and role TAMs play in the invasiveness of PAs. This review describes the advances in the field of macrophages in the pituitary adenoma-tumor microenvironment (PA-TME) and the prospect of targeting macrophages as a therapy for PAs
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