# Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs)

Source: https://onco.cc/terms/myeloid-derived-suppressor-cells/  
OnCo record `myeloid-derived-suppressor-cells` (Term). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

Immature immune cells that tumours summon to switch off T cells. Their numbers in blood predict worse immunotherapy outcomes.

## Summary

Granulocytic (PMN-MDSC) and monocytic (M-MDSC) subsets; suppress T cells via arginase, iNOS, ROS, and PD-L1. Expanded by G-CSF, IL-6, and VEGF from tumours. Targets under study: CXCR2, STAT3, arginase inhibitors, PI3Kγ; also depleted by some chemotherapies (gemcitabine, 5-FU) and inhibited by PDE5 inhibitors in pilot trials. No medicine in OnCo is recorded as acting mainly on MDSCs. The four linked trials test SX-682, an oral CXCR1/2 inhibitor that blocks MDSCs from travelling into tumours in mouse models of head and neck cancer (Greene et al., Clinical Cancer Research 2020), with checkpoint inhibitors or enzalutamide.

## Fields

- Kind: Term
- Last checked: 2026-09-08

## Sources

- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myeloid-derived_suppressor_cell
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myeloid-derived_suppressor_cell
- Greene et al., Inhibition of MDSC trafficking with SX-682, a CXCR1/2 inhibitor, enhances NK-cell immunotherapy in head and neck cancer models (Clinical Cancer Research 2020): https://doi.org/10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-19-2625

## Connected records

- targets: [CD11b](https://onco.cc/targets/cd11b/), [CD14](https://onco.cc/targets/cd14/), [CD66b](https://onco.cc/targets/cd66b/), [PD-L1](https://onco.cc/targets/pdl1/), [VEGF / VEGFR](https://onco.cc/targets/vegf/)
- pathways: [Complement in cancer](https://onco.cc/pathways/complement-in-cancer/), [JAK-STAT signalling](https://onco.cc/pathways/jak-stat/), [Myeloid suppression: TAMs, MDSCs & don't-eat-me signals](https://onco.cc/pathways/myeloid-suppression-axis/), [Nutrient competition & metabolic immunosuppression](https://onco.cc/pathways/nutrient-competition-tme/), [The pre-metastatic niche](https://onco.cc/pathways/pre-metastatic-niche/), [Tumour microenvironment (TME)](https://onco.cc/pathways/tumor-microenvironment/)
- trials: [Phase I/II Study of the Combination Immunotherapy Regimen: SX-682, TriAdeno Vaccine, Retifanlimab and IL-15 Agonist N-803 (STAR15) for Metastatic Colorectal Can](https://onco.cc/trials/nct06149481/), [Study of SX-682 Plus Enzalutamide in Men With ARPI-Resistant Metastatic Castration Resistant Prostate Cancer](https://onco.cc/trials/nct06228053/), [SX-682 and Atezolizumab for the Treatment of Advanced or Metastatic, Recurrent Non-small Cell Lung Cancer](https://onco.cc/trials/nct07322341/), [SX-682 With Pembrolizumab for the Treatment of Metastatic or Recurrent Stage IIIC or IV Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer](https://onco.cc/trials/nct05570825/)
- terms: [Macrophage](https://onco.cc/terms/macrophage/)

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