Roles of the Immune System in Cancer: from Tumor Initiation to Metastatic Progression

Overview

Journal Genes Dev

Specialty Molecular Biology

Date 2018 Oct 3

PMID 30275043

Citations 979

Authors

Hugo Gonzalez

Catharina Hagerling

Zena Werb

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The presence of inflammatory immune cells in human tumors raises a fundamental question in oncology: How do cancer cells avoid the destruction by immune attack? In principle, tumor development can be controlled by cytotoxic innate and adaptive immune cells; however, as the tumor develops from neoplastic tissue to clinically detectable tumors, cancer cells evolve different mechanisms that mimic peripheral immune tolerance in order to avoid tumoricidal attack. Here, we provide an update of recent accomplishments, unifying concepts, and future challenges to study tumor-associated immune cells, with an emphasis on metastatic carcinomas.

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