Lymphatic transport maintains homeostatic health and is necessary for immune surveillance, and yet lymphatic growth is often associated with solid tumour development and dissemination. Although tumour-associated lymphatic remodelling and growth were initially presumed to simply expand a passive route for regional metastasis, emerging research puts lymphatic vessels and their active transport at the interface of metastasis, tumour-associated inflammation and systemic immune surveillance. Here, we discuss active mechanisms through which lymphatic vessels shape their transport function to influence peripheral tissue immunity and the current understanding of how tumour-associated lymphatic vessels may both augment and disrupt antitumour immune surveillance. We end by looking forward to emerging areas of interest in the field of cancer immunotherapy in which lymphatic vessels and their transport function are likely key players: the formation of tertiary lymphoid structures, immune surveillance in the central nervous system, the microbiome, obesity and ageing. The lessons learnt support a working framework that defines the lymphatic system as a key determinant of both local and systemic inflammatory networks and thereby a crucial player in the response to cancer immunotherapy.

淋巴运输维持体内平衡健康，对于免疫监视是必要的，但淋巴生长通常与实体瘤的发展和传播有关。尽管最初认为肿瘤相关淋巴管重塑和生长只是扩大区域转移的被动途径，但新兴研究将淋巴管及其主动运输置于转移、肿瘤相关炎症和全身免疫监视的界面。在这里，我们讨论淋巴管塑造其运输功能以影响外周组织免疫的主动机制，以及目前对肿瘤相关淋巴管如何增强和破坏抗肿瘤免疫监视的理解。最后，我们展望了癌症免疫治疗领域的新兴感兴趣领域，其中淋巴管及其运输功能可能是关键参与者：三级淋巴结构的形成、中枢神经系统的免疫监视、微生物组、肥胖和衰老。汲取的经验教训支持了一个工作框架，该框架将淋巴系统定义为局部和全身炎症网络的关键决定因素，从而在癌症免疫治疗的反应中发挥着关键作用。