AUTHOR=Sällberg Matti , Pasetto Anna 

TITLE=Liver, Tumor and Viral Hepatitis: Key Players in the Complex Balance Between Tolerance and Immune Activation

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Immunology

VOLUME=Volume 11 - 2020

YEAR=2020

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2020.00552

DOI=10.3389/fimmu.2020.00552

ISSN=1664-3224

ABSTRACT=Liver cancer is the third cause of cancer related death in the World. From an epidemiological point of view the risk factors associated to primary liver cancer are mainly viral hepatitis and alcohol consumption. Even though there is a clear correlation between liver inflammation, cirrhosis and cancer, other emerging liver diseases like non-alcoholic liver disease and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis may also lead to liver cancer. Moreover, the liver is the major site of metastasis from colon, breast, ovarian and other cancers. In this review we will address the peculiar status of the liver as organ that has to balance between tolerance and immune activation. We will focus on macrophages and other key cellular components of the liver microenvironment that play a central role during tumor progression. We will also discuss how current and future therapies may affect the balance towards immune activation.