Erfan Mohammadi Sepahvand - Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Karaj Branch, Islamic Azad University, Karaj, Iran
Mina Masoudnia - Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Haniyeh Sadat Hosseininia - Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Advanced Medical Science, Tehran Islamic Azad University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Alireza Kazempour - Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Lahijan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Lahijan, Iran
Nazila Bostanshirin - Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine Science, Alborz University of Medical Science, Alborz, Iran
Arsalan Jalili - Hematopoietic Stem Cell Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Amin Ebrahimi Sadrabadi - Department of Stem Cells and Developmental Biology, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology, ACER, Tehran, Iran.

Over the recent years, studies in the area of cancer microenvironment and the cellular groups existing in this environment have indicated the significant role of them in progression of cancer studies. Among the mentioned cellular groups, as the main inflammatory components of stroma, Tumor associate macrophage (TAM) cells have the capacity of affecting the cancer tissue in different aspects. With their plasticity capacity, macrophages can change into M۱ (classic) or M۲ (alternative) macrophage reacting to different signals.  In the tumor environment, they usually change into the M۲ phenotype, and this phenotype can create a precancerous role in the macrophage and facilitate the invasion of tumor cells and metastasis, angiogenesis, remodeling of the extracellular matrix, and suppression of the immune system. The various roles of these cells and their reversibility have made the TAMs a potential target of the cancer treatment. This process takes place by different mechanisms such as Interference with TAMs survival, Inhibition of macrophage recruitment, repolarization of M۲-like TAMs towards an M۱-like phenotype, nano particle and liposome-based drug delivery system. This review study investigates the markers and the function of M۱, M۲, and tumor-associated macrophages, and finally, it proposes the latest clinical and laboratory approach for targeting the TAMs.  

tumor associated macrophage, inflammation, angiogenesis, immunosuppression, TAM-based therapy