Neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) formation, first described in 2004 as a previously unknown strategy of neutrophils to fight microbes, has attracted an increasing interest in the research community. NETs are formed when neutrophils externalize their decondensed chromatin together with content from their azurophilic granules. In addition to their role in defense against microbes, NETs have been implicated as mediators of pathology in sterile inflammation, such as cancer and autoimmunity, and their potential as therapeutic targets is actively explored. However, targeting of NETs is challenging since the beneficial effects of their removal needs to be balanced against the potential harmful loss of their function in microbial defense. Moreover, depending on the stimuli or species, NETs can be formed via distinct mechanisms and are not always made up of the same components, making direct comparisons between various studies challenging. This review will focus on the role of NETs in cancer-associated pathology, such as thrombosis, organ dysfunction and metastasis. Different strategies to target NETs, either by preventing their formation or degrading existing ones, will also be discussed.

中文翻译：

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癌症和其他炎症性疾病病理学中的中性粒细胞胞外陷阱

中性粒细胞胞外陷阱 (NET) 的形成于 2004 年首次被描述为一种以前未知的中性粒细胞对抗微生物的策略，已引起研究界越来越多的兴趣。当嗜中性粒细胞将其去浓缩的染色质连同其嗜天青颗粒中的内容物外化时，就会形成 NET。除了它们在防御微生物方面的作用外，NETs 还被认为是无菌炎症（如癌症和自身免疫）的病理介质，并且正在积极探索它们作为治疗靶点的潜力。然而，NETs 的靶向是具有挑战性的，因为需要平衡它们去除的有益效果与它们在微生物防御中功能的潜在有害损失。此外，根据刺激或物种，NETs 可以通过不同的机制形成，并不总是由相同的组件组成，这使得不同研究之间的直接比较具有挑战性。本综述将重点关注 NET 在癌症相关病理学中的作用，例如血栓形成、器官功能障碍和转移。还将讨论针对 NET 的不同策略，无论是通过阻止其形成还是降低现有的策略。