Immature myeloid-derived suppressor cells; A bridge between inflammation and cancer

Chronic inflammation is considered to be one of the hallmarks of tumor initiation and progression. Changes occurring in the microenvironment of progressing tumors resemble the process of chronic inflammation, which begins with ischemia followed by interstitial and cellular edema, appearance of immune cells, growth of blood vessels and tissue repair, and development of inflammatory infiltrates. Moreover, long-term production and accumulation of inflammatory factors lead to local and systemic immunosuppression associated with cancer progression. Of the several mechanisms described to explain this anergy, the accumulation of myeloid cells in the tumor, spleen, and peripheral blood of cancer patients has gained considerable interest. A population of suppressive CD11b(+)Gr-1(+) cells has in fact been designated as myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSCs). MDSCs are a unique category of the myeloid lineage, and they induce the prevention of the development of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) in vitro, and the induction of antigen-specific CD8(+) T-cell tolerance in vivo. Therapeutic approaches directed toward the manipulation of the MDSC population and their function may improve chemoimmune-enhancing therapy for advanced malignancies.