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Targeting collagen to optimize cancer immunotherapy

Yida Wang1, Feng Zhang2, Zhiwen Qian2

  • 1Department of Oncology, Wuxi Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, Wuxi Medical Center, Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi, 214002, China.

Experimental Hematology & Oncology
|July 28, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Collagen in tumors influences cancer growth and immune response. Targeting collagen offers a promising biomarker for early cancer detection and personalized immunotherapy, improving treatment strategies.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Biomarkers
  • Cancer Research

Background:

  • Collagen is integral to the tumor microenvironment, affecting structure, immunity, angiogenesis, and progression.
  • Current cancer research focuses on modulating collagen's dual role: suppressing tumor-promoting effects while retaining tumor-inhibiting functions.
  • A critical need exists for sensitive and specific cancer diagnostic biomarkers.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To highlight the clinical relevance and value of collagen as a biomarker in cancer.
  • To explore the link between collagen and immunotherapy outcomes.
  • To demonstrate how targeting collagen interactions can yield predictive markers for personalized immunotherapy.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on collagen's role in cancer.
  • Analysis of collagen's interaction with tumor cells and the immune system.
  • Evaluation of collagen as a predictive marker for immunotherapeutic response.

Main Results:

  • Collagen exhibits significant value as a biomarker across cancer onset and progression.
  • Collagen's interactions are fundamentally linked to immunotherapeutic outcomes.
  • Targeting collagen and its tumor/immune cell interactions provides reliable predictive markers.

Conclusions:

  • Collagen is a clinically relevant biomarker for cancer diagnosis and progression.
  • Understanding collagen-tumor-immune cell dynamics is key for immunotherapy.
  • Targeting collagen facilitates personalized immunotherapy and standardized treatment regimens.
Keywords:
BiomarkerCancerClinical applicationsCollagenImmunotherapyTumor microenvironment

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