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REVIEW article

Front. Oncol.
Sec. Cancer Immunity and Immunotherapy
Volume 14 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fonc.2024.1325575
This article is part of the Research Topic Metabolism Regulation of T Cell Mediated-Tumor Immunity and Immunotherapy View all 5 articles

Th17/Treg cell balance in patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma: A new potential biomarker and therapeutic target

Provisionally accepted
Meng-Han Huo Meng-Han Huo Ayiguzhali •. Abulitipu Ayiguzhali •. Abulitipu umair khan umair khan Xin-Xi Li Xin-Xi Li Lei Zhang Lei Zhang Ye Tian Ye Tian Sheng Jiang Sheng Jiang Guo-Li Du Guo-Li Du *
  • First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, Xinjiang Uyghur Region, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is the most common subtype of thyroid carcinoma. The most effective treatment for PTC is surgical resection, and patients who undergo surgery have good survival outcomes, but some patients have distant metastasis or even multiorgan metastases at the time of initial diagnosis. Distant metastasis is associated with poorer prognosis and a higher mortality rate. Helper T lymphocyte 17 (Th17) cells and regulatory T lymphocytes (Tregs) play different roles in PTC, and the Th17/Treg balance is closely related to the progression of PTC. Th17 cells play anticancer roles, whereas Tregs play cancer-promoting roles. A Th17/Treg imbalance promotes tumor progression and accelerates invasive behaviors such as tumor metastasis. Th17/Treg homeostasis can be regulated by the TGF‐β/IL‐2 and IL‐6 cytokine axes. Immune checkpoint inhibitors contribute to Treg/Th17 cell homeostasis. For PTC, monoclonal antibodies against CTLA-4, PD-1 and PD-L1 inhibit the activation of Tregs, reversing the Th17/Treg cell imbalance and providing a new option for the prevention and treatment of PTC. This article reviews the role of Tregs and Th17 cells in PTC and their potential targets, aiming to provide better treatment options for PTC.

    Keywords: Cancer Immunity and Immunotherapy Writing -original draft, Writing -review & editing Writing -review & editing. UmairKhan: Writing -review & editing. Xin-Xi Li: Writing -review & editing. Lei Zhang: Writing -review & editing. Ye Tian: Writing -review & editing. Sheng Jiang: Writing -review & editing. Can-Can Xu, Xian-Zhen Chao, Ye-Fan Yang and Jin-Xia Zhang: Resource. Guo-Li Du: Conceptualization, Writing -original draft, Writing -review & editing Th17, Treg, Th17/Treg homeostasis

    Received: 21 Oct 2023; Accepted: 10 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Huo, Abulitipu, khan, Li, Zhang, Tian, Jiang and Du. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Guo-Li Du, First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, Xinjiang Uyghur Region, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.