Fig. 2

Principal strategies for TAMs-directed antitumor therapy. Four general approaches that target or utilize TAMs as cancer therapy are discussed clockwise, starting at the below. The strategies fall into four main groups: i) inhibition of TAMs recruitment to the tumor, ii) direct killing of TAMs, iii) re-education of TAMs from their M2-like protumoral phenotype into a M1-like antitumoral phenotype. iv) TAMs-mediated delivery of therapeutic cargoes. CAFs, cancer-associated fibroblasts; CTLs, cytotoxic T lymphocytes; CSF1, colony-stimulating factor 1; CSF1R, CSF1 receptor; PI3Kγ, phosphoinositide 3-kinase-γ; HDAC, histone deacetylase; MSCs, mesenchymal stem/stromal cells; MARCO, macrophage receptor with collagenous structure; MDSCs, myeloid-derived suppressor cells; Tregs, regulatory T cells; TLRs, toll-like receptors; VEGF, vascular endothelial growth factor; VEGFR, VEGF receptor