Promoting Chronic Inflammation

Tumors are typically infiltrated by cells of both the innate and adaptive immune systems, resulting in chronic inflammation. When tumor cells activate innate immune cells, they respond by activating the inflammasome and inducing pyroptosis, in which cellular content is released into the tumor environment. The released contents include growth factors that sustain proliferative signaling, survival factors that prevent cell death and angiogenesis factors that increase vascularization. As a result, innate immune cells can contribute to tumor progression.