Implications of regulatory T cells in anti-cancer immunity: from pathogenesis to therapeutics

Regulatory T cells (Tregs) play an essential role in maintaining immune tolerance and suppressing inflammation. However, Tregs present major hurdle in eliciting potent anti-cancer immune responses. Therefore, curbing the activity of Tregs represents a novel and efficient way towards successful immunotherapy of cancer. Moreover, there is an emerging interest in harnessing Treg-based strategies for augmenting anti-cancer immunity in different types of the disease. This review summarises the crucial mechanisms of Tregs' mediated suppression of anti-cancer immunity and strategies to suppress or to alter such Tregs to improve the immune response against tu-mors. Highlighting important clinical studies, the review also describes current Treg-based therapeutic in-terventions in cancer, and discusses Treg-suppression by molecular targeting, which may emerge as an effective cancer immunotherapy and as an alternative to detrimental chemotherapeutic agents.

Automated summary

Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are important in immune tolerance and suppressing inflammation, but their activity hinders anti-cancer immune responses. Suppressing Treg activity is a novel and effective approach for successful cancer immunotherapy, and there is growing interest in utilizing Tregs to enhance anti-cancer immunity. This review summarizes the crucial mechanisms of Tregs' suppression of anti-cancer immunity and discusses strategies to suppress or alter Tregs to improve immune response against tumors.