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Immune‐mediated dormancy: an equilibrium with cancer
Author(s) -
Teng Michele W. L.,
Swann Jeremy B.,
Koebel Catherine M.,
Schreiber Robert D.,
Smyth Mark J.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
journal of leukocyte biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.819
H-Index - 191
eISSN - 1938-3673
pISSN - 0741-5400
DOI - 10.1189/jlb.1107774
Subject(s) - immunoediting , biology , immune system , immunity , cancer , cancer immunology , dormancy , immunology , immunotherapy , genetics , germination , botany
This brief review discusses the role of the immune system in tumor development, covering a history of cancer immunity and a summary of the concept of cancer immunoediting, including its three phases: elimination, equilibrium, and escape. The latter half of this review then focuses specifically on the equilibrium phase, making note of previous work, suggesting that immunity might maintain cancer in a dormant state, and concluding with a description of a tractable mouse model unequivocally demonstrating that immunity can indeed hold preformed cancer in check. These findings form a framework for future studies aimed at validating immune‐mediated cancer dormancy in humans with the hopes of devising new, immunotherapeutic strategies to treat established cancer.