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Review
. 2016 Jul 1;48(7):e242.
doi: 10.1038/emm.2016.64.

Stimulatory versus suppressive effects of GM-CSF on tumor progression in multiple cancer types

In-Sun Hong  1   2
Affiliations
Review

Stimulatory versus suppressive effects of GM-CSF on tumor progression in multiple cancer types

In-Sun Hong. Exp Mol Med. .

Abstract

Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF, also called CSF-2) is best known for its critical role in immune modulation and hematopoiesis. A large body of experimental evidence indicates that GM-CSF, which is frequently upregulated in multiple types of human cancers, effectively marks cancer cells with a 'danger flag' for the immune system. In this context, most studies have focused on its function as an immunomodulator, namely its ability to stimulate dendritic cell (DC) maturation and monocyte/macrophage activity. However, recent studies have suggested that GM-CSF also promotes immune-independent tumor progression by supporting tumor microenvironments and stimulating tumor growth and metastasis. Although some studies have suggested that GM-CSF has inhibitory effects on tumor growth and metastasis, an even greater number of studies show that GM-CSF exerts stimulatory effects on tumor progression. In this review, we summarize a number of findings to provide the currently available information regarding the anticancer immune response of GM-CSG. We then discuss the potential roles of GM-CSF in the progression of multiple types of cancer to provide insights into some of the complexities of its clinical applications.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic diagram summarizing the potential roles of GM-CSF in tumor progression. GM-CSF exerts its function mainly by stimulating dendritic cell (DC) maturation and monocyte/macrophage activity as an immunomodulator. In addition, GM-CSF promotes immune-independent tumor progression by supporting tumor microenvironments and stimulating tumor growth and metastasis. GM-CSF also has inhibitory effects on tumor growth and metastasis.
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