Pham, LinhKyritsi, KonstantinaZhou, TianhaoCeci, LudovicaBaiocchi, LeonardoKennedy, LindseyChakraborty, SanjuktaGlaser, ShannonFrancis, HeatherAlpini, GianfrancoSato, Keisaku2024-01-182024-01-182022Pham L, Kyritsi K, Zhou T, et al. The Functional Roles of Immune Cells in Primary Liver Cancer. Am J Pathol. 2022;192(6):826-836. doi:10.1016/j.ajpath.2022.02.004https://hdl.handle.net/1805/38071Primary liver cancer includes hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and cholangiocarcinoma (CCA). Incidence of liver cancer has been increasing in recent years, and the 5-year survival is <20%. HCC and CCA are often accompanied with a dense stroma coupled with infiltrated immune cells, which is referred to as the tumor microenvironment. Populations of specific immune cells, such as high density of CD163+ macrophages and low density of CD8+ T cells, are associated with prognosis and survival rates in both HCC and CCA. Immune cells in the tumor microenvironment can be a therapeutic target for liver cancer treatments. Previous studies have introduced immunotherapy using immune checkpoint inhibitors, pulsed dendritic cells, or transduced T cells, to enhance cytotoxicity of immune cells and inhibit tumor growth. This review summarizes current understanding of the roles of immune cells in primary liver cancer covering HCC and CCA.en-USPublisher PolicyBile duct neoplasmsCholangiocarcinomaLiver neoplasmsTumor microenvironmentArticle