More than a decade ago IL-1 blockade was suggested as an add-on therapy for the treatment of cancer. This proposal was based on the overall safety record of anti-IL-1 biologics and the anti-tumor properties of IL-1 blockade in animal models of cancer. Today, a new frontier in IL-1 activity regulation has developed with several orally active NLRP3 inhibitors currently in clinical trials, including cancer. Despite an increasing body of evidence suggesting a role of NLRP3 and IL-1-mediated inflammation driving cancer initiation, immunosuppression, growth, and metastasis, NLRP3 activation in cancer remains controversial. In this review, we discuss the recent advances in the understanding of NLRP3 activation in cancer. Further, we discuss the current opportunities for NLRP3 inhibition in cancer intervention with novel small molecules.

十多年前，IL-1 阻断被建议作为治疗癌症的附加疗法。该提案基于抗 IL-1 生物制剂的总体安全性记录和 IL-1 阻断在癌症动物模型中的抗肿瘤特性。今天，IL-1 活性调节的新领域已经发展起来，目前正在进行临床试验的几种口服活性 NLRP3 抑制剂，包括癌症。尽管越来越多的证据表明 NLRP3 和 IL-1 介导的炎症在驱动癌症发生、免疫抑制、生长和转移方面的作用，但 NLRP3 在癌症中的激活仍然存在争议。在这篇综述中，我们讨论了了解癌症中 NLRP3 激活的最新进展。此外，我们讨论了 NLRP3 抑制在新型小分子癌症干预中的当前机会。