Relationship of TGF-β1 and Smad7 expression with decreased dendritic cell infiltration in liver gastrointestinal cancer metastasis.

Immune responses and their modulation within the liver are critical to the outcome of liver malignancies. In late-stage tumors, secreted TGF-β promotes oncogenic functions and can confer tolerogenicity to some immune cells like DCs. The TGF-β signaling pathway is involved in the control of several biological processes, including immunosurveillance.