Abstract

Immunotherapy holds great promise for treating cancer. Nonetheless, T cell-based immunotherapy of solid tumors has remained challenging, largely due to the lack of universal tumor-specific antigens and an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME) that inhibits lymphocyte infiltration and activation. Aberrant vascularity characterizes malignant solid tumors, which fuels the formation of an immune-hostile microenvironment and induces tumor resistance to immunotherapy, emerging as a crucial target for adjuvant treatment in cancer immunotherapy. In this review, we discuss the molecular and cellular basis of vascular microenvironment-mediated tumor evasion of immune responses and resistance to immunotherapy, with a focus on vessel abnormality, dysfunctional adhesion, immunosuppressive niche, and microenvironmental stress in tumor vasculature. We provide an overview of opportunities and challenges related to these mechanisms. We also propose genetic programming of tumor endothelial cells as an alternative approach to recondition the vascular microenvironment and to overcome tumor resistance to immunotherapy.

Highlights

  • Tumor vasculature has presented a complex problem to achieving therapeutic success across all cancer treatment modalities

  • Solid tumors exhibit aberrant vasculature composed of tumor endothelial cells (ECs) that present a physical barrier to treatment as well as promote aggressive tumor phenotypes that are prone to become aggressive and metastatic

  • Vascular Regulation of Tumor Immunity implicated in immunotherapy for solid tumors, the landscape of the vascular microenvironment, and examine how these unique obstacles presented by tumor ECs impact current treatment options

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Summary

Zachary Lamplugh and Yi Fan*

T cell-based immunotherapy of solid tumors has remained challenging, largely due to the lack of universal tumor-specific antigens and an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME) that inhibits lymphocyte infiltration and activation. Aberrant vascularity characterizes malignant solid tumors, which fuels the formation of an immune-hostile microenvironment and induces tumor resistance to immunotherapy, emerging as a crucial target for adjuvant treatment in cancer immunotherapy. We discuss the molecular and cellular basis of vascular microenvironment-mediated tumor evasion of immune responses and resistance to immunotherapy, with a focus on vessel abnormality, dysfunctional adhesion, immunosuppressive niche, and microenvironmental stress in tumor vasculature. We propose genetic programming of tumor endothelial cells as an alternative approach to recondition the vascular microenvironment and to overcome tumor resistance to immunotherapy

INTRODUCTION
Current Approaches
Therapeutic Challenges
Tumor Microenvironment and Immunotherapy
Mechanisms Underlying Vascular Regulation of Tumor Immunity
Immune Cell Infiltration
Immune Cell Function
Immune Cell Metabolism
Epigenetic Regulation of Immune Cells
Therapeutic Effects of Radiochemotherapy on Immune Cells
REPROGRAM VASCULAR MICROENVIRONMENT FOR IMMUNOTHERAPY
Vessel Normalization
Endothelial Reprogramming
Full Text
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