Microglia and metastases to the central nervous system: victim, ravager, or something else?

ABSTRACT: Central nervous system (CNS) metastases are a major cause of death in patients with cancer. Tumor cells must survive during their migration and dissemination in various sites and niches. The brain is considered an immunological sanctuary site, and thus the safest place for metastasis establishment. The risk of brain metastases is highest in patients with melanoma, lung, or breast cancers. In the CNS, metastatic cancer cells exploit the activity of different non-tumoral cell types in the brain microenvironment to create a new niche and to support their proliferation and survival. Among these cells, microglia (the brain resident macrophages) display an exceptional role in immune surveillance and tumor clearance. However, upon recruitment to the metastatic site, depending on the microenvironm

SUBMITTER: Caffarel MM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9677912 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature