Regulatory T cells and immune escape in HCC: understanding the tumor microenvironment and advancing CAR-T cell therapy

Front Immunol. 2024 Jul 29:15:1431211. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1431211. eCollection 2024.

Abstract

Liver cancer, which most commonly manifests as hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), is the sixth most common cancer in the world. In HCC, the immune system plays a crucial role in the growth and proliferation of tumor cells. HCC achieve immune escape through the tumor microenvironment, which significantly promotes the development of this cancer. Here, this article introduces and summarizes the functions and effects of regulatory T cells (Tregs) in the tumor microenvironment, highlighting how Tregs inhibit and regulate the functions of immune and tumor cells, cytokines, ligands and receptors, etc, thereby promoting tumor immune escape. In addition, it discusses the mechanism of CAR-T therapy for HCC and elaborate on the relationship between CAR-T and Tregs.

Keywords: CAR-T; hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC); immunotherapy; regulatory T cells(Treg); tumor microenvironment.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Carcinoma, Hepatocellular* / immunology
  • Carcinoma, Hepatocellular* / pathology
  • Carcinoma, Hepatocellular* / therapy
  • Humans
  • Immunotherapy, Adoptive* / methods
  • Liver Neoplasms* / immunology
  • Liver Neoplasms* / pathology
  • Liver Neoplasms* / therapy
  • Receptors, Chimeric Antigen / genetics
  • Receptors, Chimeric Antigen / immunology
  • T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory* / immunology
  • Tumor Escape* / immunology
  • Tumor Microenvironment* / immunology

Substances

  • Receptors, Chimeric Antigen

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This work was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant nos.82372806), the Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province, China (ZR2021MC039) and Qingdao Key Clinical Specialty Elite Discipline.