Neutrophils in the tumor microenvironment: role in tumor progression and potential targeted therapeutic strategy

Neutrophils are known as the body's first line of defense against invading pathogens, which are the most abundant bone-marrow-derived innate immune cells accounting for 50%-70% of all white blood cells in human peripheral blood. With in-depth research in recent years, neutrophils have also been recognized as one of the main immune cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME), playing an important role in tumor development. Neutrophils can promote tumor metastasis through secretion of chemokines and cytokines and formation of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). Also, neutrophil targeting treatment has shown a promising anticancer effect. In this article, we summarized the recent research progress related to the significant role of neutrophils in tumor metastasis, as well as the current progression and limitations of targeting neutrophils in tumor therapeutics. This review can provide a comprehensive understanding of the role of neutrophils in the TME and the development of a new anticancer strategy.