How cancer cells interact with the immune system

06.03.2023

A study, conducted by researchers from the Institute of Oncology Research (IOR) and the Veneto Institute of Molecular Medicine (VIMM) in collaboration with the University of Padua, reveals an alternative mechanism of resistance to therapy involving neutrophils.

Neutrophils represent 50-70% of white blood cells found in human blood and act as the first line of defense against pathogens.

Thanks to the production of specific substances, tumors attract a particular type of neutrophil that block our defense system, promoting tumor growth and resistance to drug treatments.

Knowing that immunosuppressive neutrophils possess a short circulating half-life, the studypublished in Cancer Cell, entitled Apolipoprotein E induces pathogenic senescent-like myeloid cells in prostate cancer, has identified a subgroup of neutrophils that can persist for a long time.  While in the tumor microenvironment, this subgroup of neutrophils blocks our natural system of antitumor defense compared to the rest of the immunosuppressive neutrophils.

This subgroup of neutrophils can enhance tumor development and increase resistance to therapies.

This opens the possibility of identifying an alternative mechanism of tumor immune evasion and supports the development of immune senolytics pharmaceuticals targeting senescent-like neutrophils for cancer therapy.