Thymic stromal lymphopoietin: Next research hotspot of carcinogenesis?

Thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) is an epithetlial cell derived cytokine which has been reported to be a master regulator in T helper (Th) 2 driven inflammation. Through acting on dentritic cells (DCs), granulocytes, natural killer T cells or directly on CD4+ T cells, TSLP plays significant roles in the pathogenesis of atopic diseases consisting of the triad of asthma, allergic rhinitis and atopic dermatitis. Recently mounting evidence demonstrated that cancer-related inflammation play decisive roles at different stages of tumor development, including initiation, promotion, malignant conversion, invasion, and metastasis. As a crucial regulator of Th2 driven inflammation, the involvement of TSLP in carcinogenesis have attracted researchers’ attention. However, the mechanisms of TSLP’s involvement in carcinogenesis are still largely unknown. In this review we first outline the roles of TSLP involved in allergic inflammation and then we further focus on the recent findings on TSLP’s tumor promoting activities hoping to provide hints on elucidation of the TSLP implication in carcinogenesis in future studies.