Roles of tumor-associated macrophages in the invasion and progression of malignant cutaneous tumors

Tumor initiation and progression is a complex pathological process including the growth,invasion and metastasis of tumor ceils.Macrophages in tumor microenvironment may fail to selectively destruct tumor cells,but can secret a series of cytokines to promote tumor cell growth,invasion,metastasis,and even escape from the normal immune system.Recently,more and more studies have demonstrated that the quantity and function of tumor-associated macrophages are related to the prognosis of some cutaneous malignancies. Key words: Skin neoplasms; Tumor escape; Macrophages