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Immunotherapy and immunoselection – tumour escape as the final hurdle
Author(s) -
Pawelec Graham
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
febs letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.593
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1873-3468
pISSN - 0014-5793
DOI - 10.1016/j.febslet.2004.02.091
Subject(s) - immunotherapy , chemistry , biology , immunology , immune system
Tumours are immunogenic and are commonly infiltrated by anti‐cancer effector cells. Why, then, are they not completely rejected by the host? Unfortunately, tumours are Darwinian paragons, winning the battle against the forces of natural immune selection. Some of the latter can even act as double‐edged swords, actually being subverted to become pro‐tumorigenic. Prevention or reversal of tumour escape from the immune response therefore offers the possibility of reconstituting effective anti‐tumour immunity and remains the major challenge for 21st century tumour immunology.