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 阻断被建议作为癌症治疗的附加疗法。该提案基于抗 IL-1 生物制剂的总体安全记录以及癌症动物模型中 IL-1 阻断的抗肿瘤特性。如今，IL-1 活性调节的新领域已经开发出来，目前正在临床试验中的几种口服活性 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、生长和转移中发挥作用，但 NLRP3 在癌症中的激活仍然存在争议。在这篇综述中，我们讨论了癌症中 NLRP3 激活的最新进展。此外，我们还讨论了当前使用新型小分子抑制 NLRP3 在癌症干预中的机会。