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The tumour immune microenvironment in oesophageal cancer

British Journal of Cancer volume 125, pages 479–494 (2021)Cite this article

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Abstract

Oesophageal cancer (OC) is an inflammation-associated malignancy linked to gastro-oesophageal reflux disease, obesity and tobacco use. Knowledge of the microenvironment of oesophageal tumours is relevant to our understanding of the development of OC and its biology, and has major implications for understanding the response to standard therapies and immunotherapies, as well as for uncovering novel targets. In this context, we discuss what is known about the TME in OC from tumour initiation to development and progression, and how this is relevant to therapy sensitivity and resistance in the two major types of OC. We provide an immunological characterisation of the OC TME and discuss its prognostic implications with specific comparison with the Immunoscore and immune-hot, -cold, altered-immunosuppressed and -altered-excluded models. Targeted therapeutics for the TME under pre-clinical and clinical investigation in OCs are also summarised. A deeper understanding of the TME will enable the development of combination approaches to concurrently target the tumour cells and TME delivering precision medicine to OC patients.

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Fig. 1: Inflammation and the TME in oesophageal carcinogenesis.
Fig. 2: The TME, immune suppression and tumour progression.
Fig. 3: Drug targets in the TME.
Fig. 4: Targeting tumour-intrinsic mechanisms.

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  1. These authors contributed equally: Maria Davern, Noel E. Donlon, Margaret R. Dunne

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland

    Maria Davern, Noel E. Donlon, Robert Power, Conall Hayes, Ross King, Margaret R. Dunne & John V. Reynolds

  2. Trinity St James’s Cancer Institute, St James’s Hospital, Dublin, Ireland

    Maria Davern, Noel E. Donlon, Robert Power, Conall Hayes, Ross King, Margaret R. Dunne & John V. Reynolds

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J.V.R. proposed the review topic and coordinated the review. M.D., N.E.D. and M.R.D. contributed equally to manuscript preparation and all researched and wrote sections of the review. R.P., C.H. and R.K. researched literature and contributed to writing of manuscript. M.D., N.E.D. and R.P. constructed the tables. C.H. designed figures for the manuscript. All authors provided feedback on the entire review and approved submission.

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Davern, M., Donlon, N.E., Power, R. et al. The tumour immune microenvironment in oesophageal cancer. Br J Cancer 125, 479–494 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41416-021-01331-y

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