Chemokines in the recruitment and shaping of the leukocyte infiltrate of tumors.

Leukocytes, and macrophages in particular, are an important component of the stroma of neoplastic tissues. Tumor-associated macrophages (TAM) have the properties of a polarized M2 population and are a key component of inflammatory circuits which promote tumor growth and progression. Chemokines play a key role in the recruitment and positioning of TAM and dendritic cells in tumors and contribute to shaping their functional properties. Chemokine-recruited and positioned tumor infiltrating leukocytes are a key component of inflammatory circuits which promote tumor progression.