Published in:
Open Access
01-12-2021 | Metastasis | Review
Neutrophil Extracellular Traps: A New Player in Cancer Metastasis and Therapeutic Target
Authors:
Dakai Yang, Jing Liu
Published in:
Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research
|
Issue 1/2021
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Abstract
Neutrophil Extracellular Traps (NETs) are neutrophil-derived extracellular scaffolds, which typically consist of fibrous decondensed chromatins decorated with histones and granule proteins. Initially discovered as a host defence mechanism of neutrophil against pathogens, they have also been implicated in the progression of sterile inflammation-associated diseases such as autoimmune disease, diabetes, and cancer. In this review, we highlight and discuss the more recent studies on the roles of NETs in cancer development, with a special focus on cancer metastasis. Moreover, we present the strategies for targeting NETs in pre-clinical models, but also the challenging questions that need to be answered in the field.