Mast Cells and Resistance to Immunotherapy in Cancer

Abstract

Mast cells are involved in tumor growth and their mediators exert both pro- and anti-tumorigenic roles in different human cancers. The identification of defined immunosuppressive pathways that are present in the tumor microenvironment has pointed therapeutic strategies that may promote inflammation and/or innate immune activation in this context. Mast cells can contribute to the immune suppressive tumor microenvironment and may also enhance anti-tumor responses. This review article is focused on the analysis of the mechanisms of the role of mast cells in resistance to immunotherapy in cancer.

Ultrastructural features of tumor‐associated mast cells in parasympathetic paragangliomas (chemodectomas) of the neck

“…Currently, the role of the microenvironment in the progression and metastasis of malignant tumors is widely argued (Hanahan & Weinberg, 2011;Koontongkaew, 2013;Martinelli et al, 2023). Tumor commonly progresses changing cell functions in the microenvironment: fibroblasts acquire properties of immunosuppressors, macrophages acquire tumorogenic functions, lymphocytes are gradually reprogrammed, and can exhibit pro-tumor activity, MCs can turn into powerful pro-inflammatory cells that affect tumor progression (Ribatti, 2023;Zhang et al, 2023).…”

Impaired Proliferation of CD8+ T Cells Stimulated with Monocyte‐Derived Dendritic Cells Previously Matured with Thapsigargin‐Stimulated LAD2 Human Mast Cells

“…However, the DC function is substantially controlled by the tumor microenvironment, which often reprograms DCs into cells with minimal antitumor activity [ 92 , 93 ]. MCs are also present in the tumor microenvironment or at the periphery of tumors, contributing to the overall setting of the tumor microenvironment and its resistance to immunotherapy [ 94 ]. As both DCs and MCs possess strong immunomodulatory capabilities, they can act as cellular checkpoints in the tumor microenvironment, eliciting either pro- or antitumor activities [ 11 ].…”

Prognostic role of macrophages and mast cells in the microenvironment of hepatocellular carcinoma after resection

“…Recently published reports suggest that the efficacy of immunotherapy can differ between viraland in non-viral-induced HCC [64], and finding predictive and/or prognostic biomarkers for both cohorts is very important. We believe that our findings (mainly based on non-viral HCC) could help to identify patients at risk, who could be candidates for adjuvant immunotherapy based on immune checkpoint inhibitors or various novel strategies, e.g., targeting tumor-associated macrophages or mast cells (reviewed in [65,66]), what can be tested in future studies.…”