Immune cell population in ovarian tumor microenvironment

Abstract

Ovarian cancer, the third most common with highest mortality rates gynecological malignancy among women in China, is characterized by a unique tumor immune microenvironment. Immune-cell population infiltrated into the tumor tissue among patients with ovarian cancer are associated positively or negatively with antitumor activity. The imbalance between immune activation and immune suppression can result in oncogenesis and cancer progression. Therefore, intense investigation of the immunologic mechanism of ovarian cancer is urgently needed, and a comprehensive understanding of the network in which immune cells interact with the microenvironment, tumor cells and each other will greatly promote the development of more effective immunotherapies for ovarian cancer. In this review, we will focus on the main immune-cell population in ovarian tumor microenvironment, discuss their role in tumor progression and try to give the readers a new perspective in finding more promising therapeutic targets for cancers.