Study summary · research use only
Thymus-derived hormonal and cellular control of cancer
Plain-language summary
Paraphrased from the published abstract below — not a verdict on whether anything works.
This review article, species not specified, discusses how thymus-derived hormones and thymocyte-derived T cells influence cancer biology. It describes thymic peptide hormones (thymosin, thymulin, and thymopoietin), produced by stromal cells and developing thymocytes, as capable of circulating to affect immune cells and other tissues in the periphery, similar to T cells. The authors summarize research on how thymic function influences tumor cell biology and patient response to cancer therapies, and review clinical and preclinical data on immunoendocrine interactions underlying anti-tumor immunity, noting that evidence in this area remains limited despite recent progress.
Abstract
The thymus gland is a central lymphoid organ in which developing T cell precursors, known as thymocytes, undergo differentiation into distinct type of mature T cells, ultimately migrating to the periphery where they exert specialized effector functions and orchestrate the immune responses against tumor cells, pathogens and self-antigens. The mechanisms supporting intrathymic T cell differentiation are pleiotropically regulated by thymic peptide hormones and cytokines produced by stromal cells in the thymic microenvironment and developing thymocytes. Interestingly, in the same way as T cells, thymic hormones (herein exemplified by thymosin, thymulin and thymopoietin), can circulate to impact immune cells and other cellular components in the periphery. Evidence on how thymic function influences tumor cell biology and response of patients with cancer to therapies remains unsatisfactory, although there has been some improvement in the knowledge provided by recent studies. Herein, we summarize research progression in the field of thymus-mediated immunoendocrine control of cancer, providing insights into how manipulation of the thymic microenvironment can influence treatment outcomes, including clinical responses and adverse effects of therapies. We review data obtained from clinical and preclinical cancer research to evidence the complexity of immunoendocrine interactions underpinning anti-tumor immunity.
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