The role of intestinal macrophage polarization in colitis-associated colon cancer

Yujie Deng ^1,2 Xiaobing Jia ³ Liu Liu ^2,4* Qiao He ^5,6* Lei Liu ^2,7*

• ¹ Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, China
• ² Chengdu Third People's Hospital, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
• ³ The First Outpatient Department, The General Hospital of Western Theater command, chengdu, China
• ⁴ Department of Gastroenterology, Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Jiaotong University, chengdu, China
• ⁵ Department of Clinical Laboratory, Sichuan Cancer Hospital Institute, chengdu, China
• ⁶ Sichuan Cancer Hospital, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
• ⁷ Medical Research Center, Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Jiaotong University, chengdu, China

Chronic inflammation of the intestine is a significant risk factor in the development of colorectal cancer. The emergence of colitis and colorectal cancer is a complex, multifactorial process involving chronic inflammation, immune regulation, and tumor microenvironment remodeling. increases. The M2 macrophages secrete cytokines such as IL-10 and TGF-β, which promote angiogenesis and matrix remodeling, and create the favorable conditions for cancer cell proliferation, infiltration, and migration. Therefore, macrophage polarization has a dual effect on the progression of colitis to CAC. The combination of immunotherapy with reprogrammed macrophages and anti-tumor drugs may provide an effective means for enhancing the therapeutic effect. It may represent a promising avenue for developing novel treatments for CAC. In this review, we focus on the process of intestinal macrophage polarization in CAC and the role of intestinal macrophage polarization in the progression of colitis to colon cancer, and review the immunotherapy targets and relevant drugs targeting macrophages in CAC.