ReviewFrontiers in immunology2025
The role of tumor-associated macrophages in lung cancer.
Review in Frontiers in immunology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 23 papers.
What it found
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The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
23 citing papers in PubMed.
- Lung Cancer Patients Display Increased Expression of Bovine Meat and Milk Factor (BMMF) Proteins in Peritumor Alveolar Macrophages.International journal of cancer · 2026Article
- Understanding tumor adaptations and resistance to MET inhibitors in MET-altered non-small cell lung cancer.Neoplasia (New York, N.Y.) · 2026Article
- Vismodegib-loaded ufasomes inhaler for treatment of non-small cell lung cancer.Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology · 2026Article
- mRNA-based therapeutics in lung Cancer: Mechanisms, applications, and translational challenges.Journal, genetic engineering & biotechnology · 2026Review
- 4-FPAC-Modulated Tumor-Associated Macrophage Conditioned Media Suppresses Malignant Phenotypes and Promotes Cell-Cycle Arrest and Apoptosis in NSCLC.Journal of biochemical and molecular toxicology · 2026Article
- A bibliometric analysis of research trends and hotspots regarding macrophage polarization in lung cancer.Journal of thoracic disease · 2026Article
- Single-cell and spatial transcriptomic profiling of POU5F1 in Lung Adenocarcinoma: Dynamics, spatial niche, and prognosis via multi-algorithm ML.Translational oncology · 2026Article
- Tumor immune microenvironment reconstitution in patient-derived organoids enables therapy modeling for NSCLC.Cell reports methods · 2026Article
- Macrophages in lung cancer: principal factors, regulatory mechanisms, and therapeutic opportunities: a narrative review.Translational lung cancer research · 2026Review
- TCF12-mediated transcriptional activation of CCDC34 is involved in the positive feedback of tumor-associated macrophages and EMT to promote LUSC.Cell biology and toxicology · 2026Article
- Understanding the dual role of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor in the lung cancer tumor microenvironment and its therapeutic implications.Translational lung cancer research · 2026Review
- Exosomes from tumor-associated macrophages promote glycolysis and malignant NSCLC progression by delivery of hsa_circ_0000896.Biology direct · 2026Article
- Nanovaccines for lung cancer: Platforms, mechanistic insights, and translational challenges.Chinese medical journal pulmonary and critical care medicine · 2026Review
- DUSP7 Overexpression Suppresses Lung Adenocarcinoma Cell Proliferation, Invasion, and M2 Macrophage Polarization Through JAK2/STAT3 Pathway Inhibition.Applied biochemistry and biotechnology · 2026Article
- Targetable driver gene-tumor immune microenvironment axis in non-small cell lung cancer: from molecular pathological mechanisms to precision immunotherapy stratification strategies.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Review
- Macrophage-Based Nanoplatforms for Tumor-Targeted Drug Delivery and Cancer Immunomodulation: Extracellular Vesicles, Membrane-Coated Nanoparticles, and Live Cells.International journal of nanomedicine · 2026Review
- The impact of obesity-related systemic inflammation on the efficacy, toxicity, and biomarkers of immune checkpoint inhibitors in lung cancer: from mechanisms to clinical management.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Review
- The Role of Hedgehog Signaling in Non-small Cell Lung Cancer: Targeting Tumor Invasion, Therapy Resistance and Novel Therapeutic Strategies.International journal of biological sciences · 2026Review
- Establishment and characterization of an orthotopic implanted lung cancer model to mimic human tumor structure, microenvironment, and metastatic spread.Translational lung cancer research · 2025Article
- Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Lung cancer remains a leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, necessitating innovative treatments. Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are primary immunosuppressive effectors that foster tumor proliferation, angiogenesis, metastasis, and resistance to therapy. They are broadly categorized into proinflammatory M1 and tumor-promoting M2 phenotypes, with elevated M2 infiltration correlating with poor prognosis. Strategies aimed at inhibiting TAM recruitment, depleting TAMs, or reprogramming M2 to M1 are therefore highly promising. Key signaling pathways, such as CSF-1/CSF-1R, IL-4/IL-13-STAT6, TLRs, and CD47-SIRPα, regulate TAM polarization. Additionally, macrophage-based drug delivery systems permit targeted agent transport to hypoxic regions, enhancing therapy. Preclinical studies combining TAM-targeted therapies with chemotherapy or immune checkpoint inhibitors have yielded improved responses and prolonged survival. Several clinical trials have also reported benefits in previously unresponsive patients. Future work should clarify the roles of macrophage-derived exosomes, cytokines, and additional mediators in shaping the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. These insights will inform the design of next-generation drug carriers and optimize combination immunotherapies within precision medicine frameworks. Elucidating TAM phenotypes and their regulatory molecules remains central to developing novel strategies that curb tumor progression and ultimately improve outcomes in lung cancer. Importantly, macrophage-based immunomodulation may offer expanded treatment avenues.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.