Liver metastasis from colorectal cancer: pathogenetic development, immune landscape of the tumour microenvironment and therapeutic approaches

Yaxian Wang; Xinyang Zhong; Xuefeng He; Zijuan Hu; Huixia Huang; Jiayu Chen; Keji Chen; Senlin Zhao; Ping Wei; Dawei Li

doi:10.1186/s13046-023-02729-7

Liver metastasis from colorectal cancer: pathogenetic development, immune landscape of the tumour microenvironment and therapeutic approaches

J Exp Clin Cancer Res. 2023 Jul 22;42(1):177. doi: 10.1186/s13046-023-02729-7.

Authors

Yaxian Wang^#^{1

2}, Xinyang Zhong^#^{1

2}, Xuefeng He³, Zijuan Hu^{2

4

5

6}, Huixia Huang^{2

4

5

6}, Jiayu Chen^{1

2}, Keji Chen^{2

4

5

6}, Senlin Zhao^{1

2}, Ping Wei^{7

8

9

10}, Dawei Li^{11

12}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Colorectal Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China.
² Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
³ ZJU-UCLA Joint Center for Medical Education and Research, Cancer Institute, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
⁴ Department of Pathology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China.
⁵ Cancer Institute, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China.
⁶ Institute of Pathology, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
⁷ Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University, Shanghai, China. weiping@fudan.edu.cn.
⁸ Department of Pathology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China. weiping@fudan.edu.cn.
⁹ Cancer Institute, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China. weiping@fudan.edu.cn.
¹⁰ Institute of Pathology, Fudan University, Shanghai, China. weiping@fudan.edu.cn.
¹¹ Department of Colorectal Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China. li_dawei@fudan.edu.cn.
¹² Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University, Shanghai, China. li_dawei@fudan.edu.cn.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Colorectal cancer liver metastasis (CRLM) is one of the leading causes of death among patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). Although immunotherapy has demonstrated encouraging outcomes in CRC, its benefits are minimal in CRLM. The complex immune landscape of the hepatic tumour microenvironment is essential for the development of a premetastatic niche and for the colonisation and metastasis of CRC cells; thus, an in-depth understanding of these mechanisms can provide effective immunotherapeutic targets for CRLM. This review summarises recent studies on the immune landscape of the tumour microenvironment of CRLM and highlights therapeutic prospects for targeting the suppressive immune microenvironment of CRLM.

Keywords: Colorectal cancer liver metastasis; Immune landscape; Immunotherapy; Premetastatic niche; Tumour microenvironment.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Colorectal Neoplasms* / therapy
Humans
Immunotherapy
Liver Neoplasms* / therapy
Tumor Microenvironment

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Grants and funding