Eliciting pyroptosis to fuel cancer immunotherapy: mechanisms and strategies

Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy has recently shown promise in treating several malignancies. However, only a limited number of patients respond to this treatment, partially because of the “immune cold” condition of the tumor immune microenvironment. Pyroptosis is a type of gasdermin-mediated programmed cell death that often leads to inflammation and immune responses. Many studies on the mechanism and function of pyroptosis have led to increasing recognition of the role of pyroptosis in malignant progression and immune therapy. Pyroptosis has the potential to alter the tumor immune microenvironment by releasing tumor-associated antigens, damage-associated molecular patterns, and proinflammatory cytokines, thus leading to intratumoral inflammatory responses, stimulation of tumor-specific cytotoxic T cell infiltration, conversion of “cold” to “hot” tumors, and ultimately improving the efficacy of ICB therapy. Some cancer treatments have been shown to restore anticancer immunosurveillance through the induction of pyroptosis. Therapy promoting pyroptosis and ICB therapy may have synergistic effects in cancer treatment. This review summarizes the mechanisms and roles of pyroptosis in the tumor microenvironment and combination treatment strategies. An improved understanding of the roles of pyroptosis in tumorigenesis, immune evasion, and treatment would aid in the development of therapeutic strategies for malignancies.