Slamming hepatocellular carcinoma: targeting immunosuppressive macrophages via SLAMF7 reprograms the tumor microenvironment.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common form of primary liver cancer and one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide due to limited treatment options. The tumor microenvironment (TME), which is usually immunosuppressive in HCC, appears to be a decisive factor for response to immunotherapy and strategies aimed at inducing a more inflamed TME hold promise to overcome resistance to immunotherapy. Within the TME, the interplay of various cell types determines whether immunotherapy is successful. Liver macrophages, in particular tumor associated macrophages (TAMs), are known to play a crucial role in tumor progression and represent potential future therapeutic targets. The presence of C-C motif chemokine receptor 2 (CCR2) expressing macrophages is known to be associated with pathogenic angiogenesis and bad prognosis for HCC patients. A recent study published in Cancer Research describes how immunosuppressive macrophages in the TME can be repolarized through targeting Signaling Lymphocyte Activation Molecule Family member 7 (SLAMF7)-regulated CC-chemokine ligand 2 (CCL2) signaling, which sensitizes HCC tumors to immunotherapy in a mouse model. This mini-review gives a brief overview about the current knowledge on SLAMF7 in the context of anti-cancer immunity and how the recent findings could be integrated into new therapeutic strategies for HCC.