©The Author(s) 2026. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Feb 28, 2026; 32(8): 115675
Published online Feb 28, 2026. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v32.i8.115675
Published online Feb 28, 2026. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v32.i8.115675
Molecular mechanisms of tumor-associated macrophages in hepatocellular carcinoma development and therapy
Ming Yang, Department of Surgery, University of Connecticut, School of Medicine, Farmington, CT 06030, United States
Chun-Ye Zhang, Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65212, United States
Co-first authors: Ming Yang and Chun-Ye Zhang.
Author contributions: Yang M and Zhang CY designed, wrote, revised, and finalized the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Corresponding author: Ming Yang, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Surgery, University of Connecticut, School of Medicine, 263 Farmington Avenue, Farmington, CT 06030, United States. minyang@uchc.edu
Received: October 22, 2025
Revised: December 13, 2025
Accepted: January 4, 2026
Published online: February 28, 2026
Processing time: 112 Days and 7 Hours
Revised: December 13, 2025
Accepted: January 4, 2026
Published online: February 28, 2026
Processing time: 112 Days and 7 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: As a predominant population of immune cells in the tumor microenvironment, tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) play an important role in the initiation and progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). TAM-derived factors, including but not limited to cytokines, chemokines, and exosomes, regulate angiogenesis, immunosuppression, and therapeutic resistance in HCC. Strategies such as reprogramming TAM polarization, suppressing immunosuppressive cell recruitment, and inhibiting immunosuppressive signaling pathways can decrease tumor-promoting immune cell recruitment, reinforce the cytotoxicity of T cells, and retard tumor cell proliferation, ultimately slowing or delaying tumor growth.