Tumor-Associated Macrophages in Primary Liver Cancers and in Premalignant Liver Diseases

A special issue of Cancers (ISSN 2072-6694). This special issue belongs to the section "Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 May 2024) | Viewed by 2337

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Biologie Médecine Santé, Université Paris-Est Créteil, Creteil, France
Interests: liver pathophysiology; immune microenvironment; primary liver cancers; mi-croRNAs; cytokines

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Primary liver cancers (e.g., hepatocellular carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma), as well as premalignant chronic liver diseases such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), represent major and growing burdens on our healthcare systems. Indeed, despite major advances in recent years, HCC still represents the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Furthermore, NAFLD prevalence, regarded as a risk factor for HCC, is steadily increasing due to the worldwide obesity epidemic. New therapeutic targets remain to be discovered, and novel therapeutic approaches to be tested. Recent findings have revealed a previously underestimated variety of liver macrophages in terms of ontogeny and functions, and even in terms of the spatial distribution of specific macrophage subsets. The range of functions of macrophages is directed by very diverse inflammation-, fibrogenesis-, and tumor-modulating mechanisms yet to be fully deciphered. Liver macrophages, mostly consisting of liver-resident Kupffer cells and infiltrated bone-marrow-derived macrophages, thus represent intriguing targets of interest that have the potential to influence the course of liver disease.

As a result, this Special Issue aims to assemble original research manuscripts and literature reviews deciphering the multifaceted, and somewhat contradictory, functions of liver macrophages in primary liver cancers and in premalignant conditions. We sincerely hope that this Special Issue may serve as a platform for exchanging new insights into liver macrophages and will contribute to the understanding and therapy of oncological diseases and premalignant conditions of the liver.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome.

We look forward to receiving your contributions. 

Dr. Fouad Lafdil
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • liver macrophages
  • circulating monocytes
  • hepatocellular carcinoma
  • cholangiocarcinoma
  • non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
  • biomarkers
  • liver regeneration
  • immune microenvironment
  • primary liver cancers
  • liver fibrosis

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

20 pages, 1314 KiB  
Review
Macrophages Orchestrate the Liver Tumor Microenvironment
by Valeria Quaranta, Costanza Ballarò and Gianluigi Giannelli
Cancers 2024, 16(9), 1772; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers16091772 - 4 May 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1894
Abstract
Liver cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortality. Hepatocellular carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma are the most common types, and despite numerous advances, therapeutic options still remain poor for these cancer patients. Tumor development and progression strictly depend on a supportive tumor [...] Read more.
Liver cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortality. Hepatocellular carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma are the most common types, and despite numerous advances, therapeutic options still remain poor for these cancer patients. Tumor development and progression strictly depend on a supportive tumor microenvironment (TME). Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are the most abundant immune cells population within a tumorigenic liver; they sustain cancer cells’ growth and invasiveness, and their presence is correlated with a poor prognosis. Furthermore, TAM cross-talk with cells and components of the TME promotes immunosuppression, a desmoplastic response, and angiogenesis. In this review, we summarize the latest advances in understanding TAM heterogeneity and function, with a particular focus on TAM modulation of the TME. We also discuss the potential of targeting macrophage subpopulations and how this is now being exploited in current clinical trials for the treatment of liver cancer. Full article
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