Eosinophilia in cancer and its regulation by sex hormones.
Journal Article (Journal Article;Review)
Gender differences in the functionality of the immune system have been attributed, in part, to direct and indirect effects of sex steroids, especially estrogens, on immune cell repertoire and activity. Notable are studies that have defined roles for estrogens in the regulation of the biology of dendritic cells (DCs), macrophages, T cells and natural killer (NK) cells. Although estrogens can modulate eosinophil function, the mechanisms by which this occurs and how it contributes to the pathobiology of different diseases remains underexplored. Furthermore, although the importance of eosinophils in infection is well established, it remains unclear as to how these innate immune cells, which are present in different tumors, impact the biology of cancer cells and/or response to therapeutics. The observation that eosinophilia influences the efficacy of immune checkpoint blockers (ICBs) is significant considering the role of estrogens as regulators of eosinophil function and recent studies suggesting that response to ICBs is impacted by gender. Thus, in this review, we consider what is known about the roles of estrogen(s) in regulating tissue eosinophilia/eosinophil function and how this influences the pathobiology of breast cancer (in particular). This information provides the context for a discussion of how estrogens/the estrogen receptor (ER) signaling axis can be targeted in eosinophils and how this would be expected to influence the activity of standard-of-care interventions and contemporary immunotherapy regimens in cancer(s).
Full Text
Duke Authors
Cited Authors
- Artham, S; Chang, C-Y; McDonnell, DP
Published Date
- January 2023
Published In
Volume / Issue
- 34 / 1
Start / End Page
- 5 - 20
PubMed ID
- 36443206
Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)
- 1879-3061
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
- 10.1016/j.tem.2022.11.002
Language
- eng
Conference Location
- United States