Natural killer (NK) cells belong to the innate immune system and contribute to protecting the host through killing of infected, foreign, stressed or transformed cells. Additionally, via cellular cross-talk, NK cells orchestrate antitumor immune responses. Hence, significant efforts have been undertaken to exploit the therapeutic properties of NK cells in cancer. Current strategies in preclinical and clinical development include adoptive transfer therapies, direct stimulation, recruitment of NK cells into the tumor microenvironment (TME), blockade of inhibitory receptors that limit NK cell functions, and therapeutic modulation of the TME to enhance antitumor NK cell function. In this Review, we introduce the NK cell–cancer cycle to highlight recent advances in NK cell biology and to discuss the progress and problems of NK cell–based cancer immunotherapies.

自然杀伤 (NK) 细胞属于先天免疫系统，通过杀死受感染的、外来的、应激的或转化的细胞来保护宿主。此外，通过细胞串扰，NK 细胞协调抗肿瘤免疫反应。因此，已经进行了大量努力来利用 NK 细胞在癌症中的治疗特性。目前临床前和临床开发的策略包括过继转移疗法、直接刺激、将 NK 细胞募集到肿瘤微环境 (TME)、阻断限制 NK 细胞功能的抑制性受体，以及 TME 的治疗性调节以增强抗肿瘤 NK 细胞功能。在这篇评论中，