Mast cells as therapeutic target in cancer.

Mast cells promote tumorigenesis and tumor progression, and have functions that favor the host. Increased mast cell number correlates with a poor prognosis in several human tumors. In different vascular tumors, as well as a number of hematological and solid tumors, mast cell accumulation correlate with increased neovascularization, tumor aggressiveness, and metastatic spread. Mast cells might act as a new target for the adjuvant treatment of tumors through the selective inhibition of angiogenesis, tissue remodeling and tumor-promoting molecules, permitting the secretion of cytotoxic cytokines and preventing mast cell-mediated immune suppression.