Targeting tumor-associated macrophages in cancer therapy and understanding their complexity.

Macrophage infiltration has been identified as an independent, poor prognostic factor for patients afflicted with various cancer entities. However, the characterization of tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) prior to and following cancer patient treatment has been limited. Our study analyzed tumor biopsies before and after anti-CSF-1R antibody treatment unraveling the nature of TAMs and providing novel insights into their phenotypic and functional characteristics in cancer.