Modulation of the tumor micro-environment by CD8⁺ T cell-derived cytokines

Upon their activation, CD8⁺ T cells in the tumor micro-environment (TME) secrete cytokines such as IFNγ, TNFα, and IL-2. While over the past years a major interest has developed in the antigenic signals that induce such cytokine release, our understanding of the cells that subsequently sense these CD8⁺ T-cell secreted cytokines is modest. Here, we review the current insights into the spreading behavior of CD8⁺ T-cell-secreted cytokines in the TME. We argue for a model in which variation in the mode of cytokine secretion, cytokine half-life, receptor-mediated clearance, cytokine binding to extracellular components, and feedback or forward loops, between different cytokines or between individual tumors, sculpts the local tissue response to natural and therapy-induced T-cell activation in human cancer.