In the past few years, the CD73-adenosine pathway has emerged as a major immunosuppressive mechanism by which multiple types of cancer evade anti-tumor immunity.
In this review, we will discuss the specific role of CD73 on both tumor cells and nontumor cells in regulating tumor immunity and tumorigenesis and provide an update on the current view of the antitumor activity of targeting CD73 by mAb or small molecule selective inhibitors in preclinical and clinical settings.
Taken together, our study provides further support that CD73 expression is associated with a poor prognosis and reduced anti-tumor immunity in human TNBC and that targeting CD73 could be a promising strategy to reprogram the tumor microenvironment in this BC subtype.
Therefore, targeting adenosine-generating enzymes (CD39 and CD73) or adenosine receptors has emerged as a novel means to stimulate anti-tumor immunity.