Friend and Foe: Langerhans Cells Implicated in SCC

These cells surprisingly promoted squamous cell cancer formation when exposed to a mutagenic compound.

Langerhans cells (LCs) have myriad functions in skin, including a critical role in antigen presentation and the coordination of adaptive immune responses. LCs induce inflammatory skin reactions, including contact hypersensitivity. To investigate the preventive potential of immune cells against carcinogenesis, these authors examined the role of LCs in squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). They exposed LC-deficient mice to a two-stage chemical carcinogenesis model using the tumor initiator DMBA (7,12-dimethylbenza[a]nthracene) and the tumor promoter TPA (12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate).

Remarkably, SCC formation was almost completely suppressed in mice lacking LCs. Because most skin tumors generated by DMBA plus TPA contain Hras mutations, the …

Reviewing Author

Kenneth Y. Tsai, MD, PhD

Disclosures

Grant / Research support American Association for Cancer Research – Landon Foundation; National Institutes of Health/National Cancer Institute; Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas

Editorial BoardsJournal of the American Academy of Dermatology

Kenneth Y. Tsai, MD, PhD

Disclosures

Grant / Research support American Association for Cancer Research – Landon Foundation; National Institutes of Health/National Cancer Institute; Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas

Editorial BoardsJournal of the American Academy of Dermatology

Friend and Foe: Langerhans Cells Implicated in SCC

Topics

Reviewing Author