Immune Surveillance in Melanoma: From Immune Attack to Melanoma Escape and Even Counterattack

Overview

Journal Cancer Biol Ther

Specialties Oncology
Pharmacology

Date 2017 May 18

PMID 28513269

Citations 24

Authors

Fade Mahmoud

Bradley Shields

Issam Makhoul

Nathan Avaritt

Henry K Wong

Laura F Hutchins

Sara Shalin

Alan J Tackett

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Pharmacologic inhibition of the cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA4) and the programmed death receptor-1 (PD1) has resulted in unprecedented durable responses in metastatic melanoma. However, resistance to immunotherapy remains a major challenge. Effective immune surveillance against melanoma requires 4 essential steps: activation of the T lymphocytes, homing of the activated T lymphocytes to the melanoma microenvironment, identification and episode of melanoma cells by activated T lymphocytes, and the sensitivity of melanoma cells to apoptosis. At each of these steps, there are multiple factors that may interfere with the immune surveillance machinery, thus allowing melanoma cells to escape immune attack and develop resistance to immunotherapy. We provide a comprehensive review of the complex immune surveillance mechanisms at play in melanoma, and a detailed discussion of how these mechanisms may allow for the development of intrinsic or acquired resistance to immunotherapeutic modalities, and potential avenues for overcoming this resistance.

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