Roles of Tumor-Associated Macrophages in the Development of Colorectal Cancer and Their Potential as Therapeutic...

Colorectal cancer(CRC),a common malignant tumor in the digestive system,has seen increases in global incidence and mortality.The occurrence and development of CRC is a multi-level complex process,which includes genetic variations within cancer cells and multiple influencing factors in the surrounding tumor microenvironment.More and more evidence suggests that tumor-associated macrophages(TAM),the main innate immune cell group in the tumor microenvironment,play a crucial role in CRC.Given the prognosis and clinical value of TAM,this article reviews the different roles of TAM in CRC and the potential applications of TAM-targeted technology.Although there is still controversy over the clinical evidence regarding the roles of TAM in CRC,elucidating the roles of TAM in the development of CRC and their importance in treatment may provide new insights for optimizing TAM-centered targeted therapies.