The Role of Innate Immunity in the Pathogenesis of Breast Cancer

Background: Breast carcinoma is the most common malignant disease in the female population and one of the leading causes of death among women worldwide. One crucial hallmark of cancer is chronic inflammation where the immunosuppressive environment is dominant. The immunosuppressive environment is largely achieved by the interaction of tumor cells and infiltrating leukocytes. Summary: Usually, human macrophages and natural killer cells are involved in antitumor immunity. The therapeutic potential of this population against cancers has stimulated their study and led to the discovery of several different tumor-associated macrophages and natural killer cell subsets, each of which is endowed with different immunoregulatory functions. Both heterogeneity and plasticity of the tumor-associated macrophages and natural killer cell compartment, which are both tightly linked to the tumor microenvironment of different breast cancer types. Key Messages: The identification of specific tumor-associated macrophages and natural killer cell subsets endowed with particular functional capabilities might help monitor tumor-mediated responses in breast cancer patients. Currently, one of the most used strategies for breast cancer of newly diagnosed patients is neoadjuvant chemotherapy.