Effects of the Anti-Tumor Agents Trabectedin and Lurbinectedin on Immune Cells of the Tumor Microenvironment

Bibliographic Details
Title: Effects of the Anti-Tumor Agents Trabectedin and Lurbinectedin on Immune Cells of the Tumor Microenvironment
Authors: Paola Allavena, Cristina Belgiovine, Elisabeth Digifico, Roberta Frapolli, Maurizio D’Incalci
Source: Frontiers in Oncology, Vol 12 (2022)
Publisher Information: Frontiers Media S.A., 2022.
Publication Year: 2022
Collection: LCC:Neoplasms. Tumors. Oncology. Including cancer and carcinogens
Subject Terms: tumor-associated macrophages, trabectedin, lurbinectedin, tumor micro-environment, immunity, Neoplasms. Tumors. Oncology. Including cancer and carcinogens, RC254-282
More Details: Immune cells in the tumor micro-environment (TME) establish a complex relationship with cancer cells and may strongly influence disease progression and response to therapy. It is well established that myeloid cells infiltrating tumor tissues favor cancer progression. Tumor-Associated Macrophages (TAMs) are abundantly present at the TME and actively promote cancer cell proliferation and distant spreading, as well as contribute to an immune-suppressive milieu. Active research of the last decade has provided novel therapeutic approaches aimed at depleting TAMs and/or at reprogramming their functional activities. We reported some years ago that the registered anti-tumor agent trabectedin and its analogue lurbinectedin have numerous mechanisms of action that also involve direct effects on immune cells, opening up new interesting points of view. Trabectedin and lurbinectedin share the unique feature of being able to simultaneously kill cancer cells and to affect several features of the TME, most notably by inducing the rapid and selective apoptosis of monocytes and macrophages, and by inhibiting the transcription of several inflammatory mediators. Furthermore, depletion of TAMs alleviates the immunosuppressive milieu and rescues T cell functional activities, thus enhancing the anti-tumor response to immunotherapy with checkpoint inhibitors. In view of the growing interest in tumor-infiltrating immune cells, the availability of antineoplastic compounds showing immunomodulatory effects on innate and adaptive immunity deserves particular attention in the oncology field.
Document Type: article
File Description: electronic resource
Language: English
ISSN: 2234-943X
Relation: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fonc.2022.851790/full; https://doaj.org/toc/2234-943X
DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.851790
Access URL: https://doaj.org/article/bc8de55f925e4464964dc8cdca572932
Accession Number: edsdoj.bc8de55f925e4464964dc8cdca572932
Database: Directory of Open Access Journals
More Details
ISSN:2234943X
DOI:10.3389/fonc.2022.851790
Published in:Frontiers in Oncology
Language:English