Subversion and coercion: the art of redirecting tumor immune surveillance

Tumor immune surveillance and CD8+ T cells in particular appear capable of recognizing the antigenic properties of human tumor cells. However, those antigen specific T cells are often excluded from tumor tissue or are functionally limited in their cytotoxic capacity. Instead, the immune response provides proinflammatory cytokines and proteases promoting tumor growth and progression while subverting cytotoxic anti-tumor immunity. The cytokines and the inflammatory mechanisms driving tumor associated inflammation resemble tissue remodeling processes during wound healing and chronic inflammatory diseases. In this chapter, we summarize the current knowledge of how inflammatory cytokines may promote the deviation of anti-tumor immunity toward a tumor promoting, noncytotoxic inflammation.