Florian Greten
Georg Speyer Haus, Institute For Tumor Biology and Experimental Therapy

Host: Maria Sibilia

Program

Cell Plasticity in Colorectal Carcinogenesis and Therapy

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common type of cancer and one of the most common cause for cancer-associated deaths in industrial nations. Carcinogenesis in general is not a cell autonomous process, but a complex interplayof much more major players than just mutagenized, cancer-initiating cells.

Particularly in CRC the reciprocal interaction of cells within the tumor microenvironment (TME) markedly influences all stages of tumorigenesis, and the plasticity of both tumor cells and surrounding cells within the TME is driven to alarge extent by inflammation. So far, all CRC tumors that have been studied are associated with an inflammatory environment (either preceding tumorigenesis, tumor-elicited or therapy-induced) and over the recent 5 years our knowledge of how tumor cells communicate with their tumor microenvironment in order tomodulate inflammatory immune responses to their needs, for example in order to suppress and escape anti-tumorigenic immune responses, has significantly improved.

Thus, a detailed understanding of the molecular and cellular basis defining the immune pathogenesis of CRC will undoubtedly lead to the development of novel and more efficient multi-modal therapeutic strategies that go beyond conventional therapies targeting tumor cells only. Recent findings regarding the modulation of an adaptive immune during CRC pathogenesis and therapy will be discussed.