Tumorigenic Th17 cells in oncogenic Kras-driven and inflammation-accelerated lung cancer.

Although inflammation has been linked to lung cancer pathogenesis, very little is known about the critical players during lung cancer development. We found that Kras mutation in lung epithelial cells preferentially leads to recruitment of Th17 cells, which produce IL-17, a signature cytokine that promotes inflammation. We demonstrated IL-17 is critical for tumor growth in part by recruiting tumorigenic GR1+ CD11b+ cells.