MINI REVIEW article
Front. Immunol.
Sec. Cancer Immunity and Immunotherapy
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1607225
This article is part of the Research TopicExploring immune low-response states through single-cell technologies and spatial transcriptomicsView all 7 articles
The Novel Functions of Chemokines in Lung Cancer Progression
Provisionally accepted
- 1Department of Thoracic Cancer (II), Cancer Hospital of China Medical University Liaoning Cancer Hospital & Institute, Cancer Hospital of Dalian University of Technology, Shenyang 110042, China., Shenyang, China
- 2Department of Child Healthcare, Shenyang Children's Hospital, Shenyang 110042, China., Shenyang, China
- 3Abdominal Radiotherapy Ward II, Cancer Hospital of China Medical University Liaoning Cancer Hospital & Institute, Cancer Hospital of Dalian University of Technology, Shenyang 110042, China., Shenyang, China
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Chemokines are key molecules that regulate immune cell migration and play critical roles in the tumor microenvironment. In lung cancer, chemokine dysregulation is closely linked to tumor progression. They promote immune cell infiltration and interact with tumor cells, enhancing tumor invasiveness and metastatic potential. This review highlights chemokine-mediated mechanisms, focusing on CCR9/CCL25 and CXCL12/CXCR4 axes, which promote tumor growth, metastasis, and immune evasion via PI3K/AKT and MAPK signaling. Elevated expression of these pathways correlates with poor outcomes and aggressive phenotypes. In SCLC, CXCR4 inhibitors show therapeutic promise when combined with chemotherapy or immunotherapy. This review summarizes the prognostic and therapeutic relevance of chemokines in lung cancer progression.
Keywords: Chemokines, lung cancer, Immunotherapy, CCR9, CXCL12, PI3K pathway
Received: 07 Apr 2025; Accepted: 30 May 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Gong, Wang, Jin and Gong. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: ZhiQiang Gong, Abdominal Radiotherapy Ward II, Cancer Hospital of China Medical University Liaoning Cancer Hospital & Institute, Cancer Hospital of Dalian University of Technology, Shenyang 110042, China., Shenyang, China
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