ReviewChemokines accentuating protumoral activities in oral cancer microenvironment possess an imperious stratagem for therapeutic resolutions

- OSCCs and metastatic lymph nodes show increased expression of genes associated with T cell anergy and presence of TLR2 FoxP3 regulatory T cells within the OSCC immune cell infiltrate. Chemokines which participate in immune evasion through these mechanisms could be potentially targeted in OSCC.
- Among the biological pathways, JAK/STAT and IFN-g signalling pathways were found to be prominently involved in OSCC. Therefore chemokines which exert protumor effect through JAK/STAT and IFN-g signalling pathways should be therapeutically modified.
- Simultaneous combination therapy directed against multiple chemokines may allow more efficacious response.

SummaryChemokines, the chemotactic cytokines have established their role in tumorigenesis and tumor progression. Studies, which explored their role in oral cancer for protumoral activity, point towards targeting chemokines for oral squamous cell carcinoma therapy. The need of the hour is to emphasize/divulge in the activities of chemokine ligands and their receptors in the tumor microenvironment for augmentation of such stratagems. This progressing sentience of chemokines and their receptors has inspired this review which is an endeavour to comprehend their role as an aid in accentuating hallmarks of cancer and targeted therapy.