肿瘤相关巨噬细胞是肿瘤微环境的重要组成部分，对血管新生、细胞外基质重塑、癌细胞增殖、转移和免疫抑制发挥着调节作用，同时在化疗药物和检查点阻滞免疫治疗中对抗药物产生抗性也起着重要作用。然而，当得到适当激活时，巨噬细胞可以介导癌细胞的吞噬和细胞毒性的肿瘤杀伤，也能与先天和适应性免疫系统的成分进行有效的双向相互作用。因此，它们已经成为肿瘤治疗中的治疗靶点。巨噬细胞靶向策略包括细胞因子和趋化因子的抑制剂，用于招募和极化肿瘤促进的髓样细胞，以及促进其抗肿瘤和免疫刺激功能的激活剂。早期的临床试验表明，靶向负调节因子（检查点）的髓样细胞功能确实具有抗肿瘤潜力。最后，考虑到骨髓单核细胞持续招募到肿瘤组织中，巨噬细胞是竞争抗原受体效应细胞发展的细胞疗法的候选者。以巨噬细胞为中心的治疗策略具有潜力，可以补充并与当前肿瘤治疗工具协同作用。© 2022. Springer Nature Limited.

Tumour-associated macrophages are an essential component of the tumour microenvironment and have a role in the orchestration of angiogenesis, extracellular matrix remodelling, cancer cell proliferation, metastasis and immunosuppression, as well as in resistance to chemotherapeutic agents and checkpoint blockade immunotherapy. Conversely, when appropriately activated, macrophages can mediate phagocytosis of cancer cells and cytotoxic tumour killing, and engage in effective bidirectional interactions with components of the innate and adaptive immune system. Therefore, they have emerged as therapeutic targets in cancer therapy. Macrophage-targeting strategies include inhibitors of cytokines and chemokines involved in the recruitment and polarization of tumour-promoting myeloid cells as well as activators of their antitumorigenic and immunostimulating functions. Early clinical trials suggest that targeting negative regulators (checkpoints) of myeloid cell function indeed has antitumor potential. Finally, given the continuous recruitment of myelomonocytic cells into tumour tissues, macrophages are candidates for cell therapy with the development of chimeric antigen receptor effector cells. Macrophage-centred therapeutic strategies have the potential to complement, and synergize with, currently available tools in the oncology armamentarium.© 2022. Springer Nature Limited.