The role of mast cells in human skin cancers

Abstract

Mast cells (MCs) are immune cells derived from myeloid lineage present in all classes of vertebrates and have emerged preceding much time the development of adaptive immunity. MCs are involved in inflammatory processes, allergic reactions, and host responses to parasites and bacteria infectious diseases. MCs are located at the host-environment interface, at many sites of initial antigen entry, including skin, lung and gastrointestinal tract, and have part of a protective mechanism. Skin has an important role in protecting the host from invasion both as physical barriers and by employing an intricate network of resident immune and non-immune cells include macrophages, T and B lymphocytes, MCs, neutrophils, eosinophils, and Langerhans cells. In this review we discussed the role of MCs in human skin cancers.