Immunity in malignant brain tumors: Tumor entities, role of immunotherapy, and specific contribution of myeloid cells to the brain tumor microenvironment

Malignant brain tumors lack effective treatment, that can improve their poor overall survival achieved with standard of care. Advancement in different cancer treatments has shifted the focus in brain tumor research and clinical trials toward immunotherapy-based approaches. The investigation of the immune cell landscape revealed a dominance of myeloid cells in the tumor microenvironment. Their exact roles and functions are the subject of ongoing research. Current evidence suggests a complex interplay of tumor cells and myeloid cells with competing functions toward support vs. control of tumor growth.Here, we provide a brief overview of the three most abundant brain tumor entities: meningioma, glioma, and brain metastases. We also describe the field of ongoing immunotherapy trials and their results, including immune checkpoint inhibitors, vaccination studies, oncolytic viral therapy, and CAR-T cells. Finally, we summarize the phenotypes of microglia, monocyte-derived macrophages, border-associated macrophages, neutrophils, and potential novel therapy targets. Glioblastoma and brain metastases are associated with a poor prognosis and reduced overall survival. We summarize immunotherapy approaches which so far have mainly failed to improve the standard of care. The predominant immune population are myeloid cells. Phenotypes and targets are revealed for monocyte-derived macrophages, resident microglia, and border-associated macrophages. image

Automated summary

Malignant brain tumors have a lack of effective treatment, but immunotherapy has become a focus in brain tumor research. Myeloid cells are found to dominate the tumor microenvironment and their interaction with tumor cells is complex.