{
  "abstract": "Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are abundant, heterogeneous, and spatially organized immune cells that regulate cancer progression, immune evasion, metastasis, and therapeutic resistance. Single-cell and spatial technologies have revealed diverse TAM states shaped by ontogeny, tumor type, disease stage, cytokines, hypoxia, metabolism, epigenetic remodeling, extracellular matrix architecture, stromal interactions, extracellular vesicles, microbiome-derived signals, and therapy-induced damage. Bidirectional cancer-TAM crosstalk evolves from tumor initiation through progression and recurrence, generating tumor-specific resistance programs that suppress lymphocytes, impair antigen presentation and phagocytosis, promote angiogenesis and metabolic restriction, remodel stroma, mediate tolerogenic efferocytosis, and sustain stem-cell, metastatic, dormancy, and regenerative niches. Therapeutic strategies include blocking macrophage recruitment or survival, activating CD40/TLR/STING signaling, targeting PI3Kγ and STAT pathways, restoring phagocytosis, modulating efferocytosis, and applying metabolic, epigenetic, stromal, vascular, nanoparticle, RNA-based, microbiome-directed, and engineered-macrophage approaches. Randomized trials have established the efficacy of CSF1R inhibition in selected CSF1-driven, macrophage-dependent tumors, whereas most other TAM- or myeloid-directed strategies in conventional solid tumors have demonstrated only preliminary clinical activity or pharmacodynamic modulation without consistent durable benefit. Off-target toxicity, spatial heterogeneity, dynamic plasticity, preclinical-clinical discordance, and combination-treatment optimization remain major barriers. Biomarker-guided patient selection, longitudinal monitoring, tumor-specific targeting, and rationally sequenced combinations will be essential for converting tumor-supportive TAMs into durable antitumor effectors.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan",
    "Department of Pathology, University of Lahore",
    "Department of Biological Sciences, Superior University"
  ],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 3,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Abdullah Farhan Saeed"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Muhammad Naim Ashraf"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Muhammad Zaheer Iqbal"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/98xkvn3vv62j2.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.3389/fimmu.2026.1920004",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "98xkvn3vv62j2",
  "issns": [
    "1664-3224"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2026.1920004/full",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "2403|Immune cells in cancer"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7224089601",
  "pdf_url": null,
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-28",
  "publisher": "Frontiers Media SA",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/98xkvn3vv62j2.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:19:17Z",
      "native_id": "10.3389/fimmu.2026.1920004",
      "source": "crossref",
      "url": "https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2026.1920004/full"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "openalex:2403|Immune cells in cancer",
      "subfield": "immunology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Tumor-associated macrophage reprogramming in cancer: recent advances in resistance mechanisms and therapy",
  "title_text": "Tumor-associated macrophage reprogramming in cancer: recent advances in resistance mechanisms and therapy",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:19:17Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/98xkvn3vv62j2",
  "venue": "Frontiers in Immunology",
  "versions": []
}