Mast Cell, the Neglected Member of the Tumor Microenvironment: Role in Breast Cancer

Abstract

Mast cells are unique tissue-resident immune cells that secrete a diverse array of biologically active compounds that can stimulate, modulate, or suppress the immune response. Although mounting evidence supports that mast cells are consistently infiltrating tumors, their role as either a driving or an opposite force for cancer progression is still controversial. Particularly, in breast cancer, their function is still under discussion. While some studies have shown a protective role, recent evidence indicates that mast cells enhance blood and lymphatic vessel formation. Interestingly, one of the most important components of the mast cell cargo, the serine protease tryptase, is a potent angiogenic factor, and elevated serum tryptase levels correlate with bad prognosis in breast cancer patients. Likewise, histamine is known to induce tumor cell proliferation and tumor growth. In agreement, mast cell depletion reduces the size of mammary tumors and metastasis in murine models that spontaneously develop breast cancer. In this review, we will discuss the evidence supporting protumoral and antitumoral roles of mast cells, emphasizing recent findings placing mast cells as important drivers of tumor progression, as well as the potential use of these cells or their mediators as therapeutic targets.

Alterations in the gut microbiota and metabolite profiles of thyroid carcinoma patients

“…62 The gut microbiota can participate in the metabolic process of amines and secondary bile acids. The amine metabolite histamine, which induces tumor cell proliferation and tumor growth, 63 increased TC formation, but the difference was nonsignificant. We believe that conducting further research to explore the potential role of flavonoids, benzenoids and other metabolites in TC is warranted.…”

Very rarely chronic urticaria can be caused by cancer and if so, resolves with its cure

“…Some of these signals are also known to induce mast cell degranulation, the key mechanism responsible for the induction of wheals and angioedema in patients with CSU. High‐density mast cell infiltration was detected in thyroid, stomach, pancreas, prostate, melanoma, and breast cancer, and accumulation of mast cells has been correlated with poor prognosis in colorectal tumors . Half of our cases were diagnosed for one of these cancers, most of the others being of hematopoietic origin.…”

Antibiotic-induced disturbances of the gut microbiota result in accelerated breast tumour growth via a mast cell-dependent pathway

“…blocking granule release), tumour growth was reduced, highlighting that this cell type is a key driver of accelerated tumour growth after antibioticinduced microbiota perturbations (Figure 7). As with most immune cells, mast cells have been shown to play both anti-and pro-tumourigenic roles in multiple cancers (47) including BrCa (48). He et al, showed that when mast cell deficient mice (Kit W-sh/W-sh ) are crossed with MMTV-PyMT mice, tumour growth and metastatic potential are significantly curtailed (49).…”