With a constantly increasing incidence, cutaneous melanoma has raised the need for a better understanding of its complex microenvironment that may further guide therapeutic options.,Melanoma is a model tumor in immuno-oncology.,Inflammation represents an important hallmark of cancer capable of inducing and sustaining tumor development.,The inflammatory process also orchestrates the adaptative immunosuppression of tumor cells that helps them to evade immune destruction.,Besides its role in proliferation, angiogenesis, and apoptosis, cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is a well-known promoter of immune suppression in melanoma.,COX-2 inhibitors are closely involved in this condition.,This review attempts to answer two controversial questions: is COX-2 a valuable prognostic factor?,Among all COX-2 inhibitors, is celecoxib a suitable adjuvant in melanoma therapy?
Macrophages are located in essentially all tissues due to their “janitor” function.,Macrophages can exert either anti- or pro-tumor activities depending upon the specific tumor microenvironment they inhabit.,Substantial evidence indicates that macrophages, owing to their plasticity, can be reeducated to adopt a protumoral phenotype within a tumor microenvironment through the help of growth factors in the microenvironment and intercellular interactions.,As the lethality of malignant melanoma is due to its aggressive capacity for metastasis and resistance to therapy, considerable effort has gone toward treatment of metastatic melanoma.,In the present review, we focus on the pro-tumor activities of macrophages in melanoma.,Based upon the information presented in this review it is anticipated that new therapies will soon be developed that target pro-tumor activities of macrophages for use in the treatment of melanoma.