Guardians and Mediators of Metastasis - Exploring T Lymphocytes, Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells, and Tumor-Associated Macrophages in the Breast Cancer Microenvironment

Sep 21, 2026

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Breast cancers (BCs) are solid, highly heterogeneous tumors shaped by a dynamic tumor microenvironment (TME) containing cancer cells and multiple non-cancer populations. Immune cells within the TME modulate tumor growth and immunity, and their interactions with cancer cells strongly affect dissemination, immunoediting, and the effectiveness of therapies. Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), and myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) are key immune components. This review summarizes their roles in BCs and the mechanisms by which they reprogram the immune TME to drive metastasis.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages23

Reading Time58 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Breast cancer heterogeneity and subtypes

Abstract

Immune cells in the tumor microenvironment

Keywords

Metastasis-related immune populations

Review Guardians and Mediators of Metastasis: Exploring T Lymphocytes, Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells, and Tumor-Associated Macrophages in the Breast Cancer Microenvironment Maria Rosaria Ruocco 1, Armando Gisonna 1, Vittoria Acampora 2, Anna D’Agostino 3, Barbara Carrese 3, Jessie Santoro 3, Alessandro Venuta 2, Rosarita Nasso 4, Nicola Rocco 5, Daniela Russo 5, Annachiara Cavaliere 6, Giovanna Giuseppina Altobelli 5, Stefania Masone 7, Angelica Avagliano 2, Alessandro Arcucci 2, * and Giuseppe Fiume 8 Citation: Ruocco, M.R.; Gisonna, A.; Acampora, V.; D’Agostino, A.; Carrese, B.; Santoro, J.; Venuta, A.; Nasso, R.; Rocco, N.; Russo, D.; et al. Guardians and Mediators of Metastasis: Exploring T Lymphocytes, Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells, and Tumor-Associated Macrophages in the Breast Cancer Microenvironment. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25, 6224. [https://doi.org/](https://doi.org/)[ ](https://doi.org/)[10.3390/ijms25116224](10.3390/ijms25116224) Academic Editor: Wolfgang Würfel Received: 20 February 2024 Revised: 30 May 2024 Accepted: 1 June 2024 Published: 5 June 2024 Copyright: © 2024 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license ([https://](https://)[ ](https://)[creativecommons.org/licenses/by/](creativecommons.org/licenses/by/)[ ](creativecommons.org/licenses/by/)[4.0/](4.0/)) . 1 Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy; [mariarosaria.ruocco2@unina.it](mariarosaria.ruocco2@unina.it) (M.R.R.); [armando.gisonna@unina.it](armando.gisonna@unina.it) (A.G.) 2 Department of Public Health, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy; vittoria.acampora@unina.it (V.A.); [alessandro.venuta@unina.it](alessandro.venuta@unina.it) (A.V.); [angelica.avagliano@gmail.com](angelica.avagliano@gmail.com) (A.A.) 3 IRCCS SYNLAB SDN, Via Emanuele Gianturco 113, 80143 Naples, Italy; [anna.dagostino@synlab.it](anna.dagostino@synlab.it) (A.D.); [barbara.carrese@synlab.it](barbara.carrese@synlab.it) (B.C.); [jessie.santoro@synlab.it](jessie.santoro@synlab.it) (J.S.) 4 Department of Movement Sciences and Wellness, University of Naples “Parthenope”, 80133 Naples, Italy; [rosaritanasso@gmail.com](rosaritanasso@gmail.com) 5 Department of Advanced Biomedical Science, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy; [nicola.rocco@unina.it](nicola.rocco@unina.it) (N.R.); [daniela.russo@unina.it](daniela.russo@unina.it) (D.R.); [giovannagiuseppina.altobelli@unina.it](giovannagiuseppina.altobelli@unina.it) (G.G.A.) 6 Plastic Surgery Unit, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy; annachiaracavaliere@yahoo.it 7 Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy; [stefania.masone@unina.it](stefania.masone@unina.it) 8 Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Catanzaro “Magna Graecia”, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy; [fiume@unicz.it](fiume@unicz.it) * Correspondence: [alessandro.arcucci2@unina.it](alessandro.arcucci2@unina.it) Abstract: Breast cancers (BCs) are solid tumors composed of heterogeneous tissues consisting of cancer cells and an ever-changing tumor microenvironment (TME) . The TME includes, among other non-cancer cell types, immune cells influencing the immune context of cancer tissues. In particular, the cross talk of immune cells and their interactions with cancer cells dramatically influence BC dissemination, immunoediting, and the outcomes of cancer therapies. Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), and myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) represent prominent immune cell populations of breast TMEs, and they have important roles in cancer immunoescape and dissemination. Therefore, in this article we review the features of TILs, TAMs, and MDSCs in BCs. Moreover

FAQs

What immune cell populations are emphasized in this review for breast cancer metastasis?

The review focuses on tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), and myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs). It highlights their roles as prominent immune populations within breast cancer TMEs.

How does the tumor microenvironment influence breast cancer outcomes?

The tumor microenvironment contains immune cells that influence the immune context of cancer tissues. The review explains that immune cell cross talk with cancer cells affects dissemination, immunoediting, and the outcomes of cancer therapies.

Which breast cancer subtypes are discussed in the introduction?

The introduction describes three major immune-histochemical types: estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) positive, HER-2 positive, and triple-negative breast cancers (TNBCs). It also notes luminal A and luminal B subtypes among ER/PR-positive cancers.

Sep 21, 2026

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