Advances In The Research And Application Of Cytokines In Human Cancer Treatment
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.62051/b30z9h90Keywords:
Cytokine therapy; cancer immunotherapy; interleukins; tumor microenvironment.Abstract
Cancer surgery and radiotherapy usually fail to achieve long-term remission due to toxic effects, and tumors remain a major global health burden, while traditional therapies such as chemotherapy have problems with recurrence and immune escape. In recent years, immunotherapy has attracted much attention as a promising alternative therapy, among which cytokines play a key role in regulating anti-tumor immunity. Advances in cytokine biology and bioengineering have promoted the development of recombinant cytokines, fusion proteins, and targeted delivery systems, which can enhance immune activation while reducing systemic side effects according to relevant studies. However, cytokine therapy still faces limitations such as short half-life, off-target effects, and immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment, which limit its efficacy as a monotherapy. This article comprehensively reviews the classification and function of cytokines, focusing on their mechanisms in cancer treatment, and summarizes clinical and preclinical strategies involving monotherapy, combination immunotherapy, and engineered cytokines. This study also explores innovative methods such as nanocarrier delivery, oncolytic virus-mediated cytokine expression, and gene-edited immune cell platforms. Although challenges such as immune modulation and therapeutic resistance remain unresolved, this review provides a reference for future studies focusing on improving delivery efficiency, reducing toxicity, and personalizing treatment based on the tumor immune environment.
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