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Updated: Jun 17, 2026

Analysis of Human T Cell Activity in an Allogeneic Co-Culture Setting of Pre-Treated Tumor Cells
Published on: March 7, 2025
Lymphocytes in cancer development: polarization towards pro-tumor immunity
Brian Ruffell1, David G DeNardo, Nesrine I Affara
1Department of Pathology, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143, United States.
None:
The classic view that the role of immune cells in cancer is primarily one of tumor rejection has been supplanted by a more complex view of leukocytes having both pro- and anti-tumor properties. This shift is due to the now well recognized capabilities of several myeloid cell types that foster pro-tumor programming of premalignant tissue, as well as the discovery that subsets of leukocytes also suppress development and effector functions of lymphocytes important for mediating anti-tumor immunity. In this review, we focus on the underappreciated role that T lymphocytes play in promoting tumor development. This includes, in addition to the role of T regulatory cells, a role for natural killer T cells and CD4(+) T helper cells in suppressing anti-tumor immunity and promoting cancer growth and metastasis.
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