The Terminology Issue for Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells

To the Editor:The recent study by Yang et al. (1) described antigen-specific immunosuppression by Gr-1+CD11b+ myeloid cells, which was mediated by the expression of CD80. This report continued a series of recent articles published in Cancer Research, which provided strong evidence in support of a critical role of these cells in tumor progression (1–6). Recent years have witnessed increasing interest in immunosuppressive cells of myeloid origin. During the last 18 months alone, more than 50 articles have appeared in peer-reviewed journals on this subject. Accumulation of these cells has been reported under pathologic conditions, including bacterial and parasitic infections, acute and chronic inflammation, and…