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Updated: May 17, 2026

Evaluation of Tumor-infiltrating Leukocyte Subsets in a Subcutaneous Tumor Model
Published on: April 13, 2015
Anti-tumor immunity: myeloid leukocytes control the immune landscape
Melanie R Rutkowski1, Tom L Stephen, Jose R Conejo-Garcia
1Tumor Microenvironment and Metastasis Program, The Wistar Institute, 3601 Spruce St., Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA. mrutkowski@wistar.org
Abstract:
The immune surveillance hypothesis proposed over 50 years ago that many precancerous lesions are eliminated without a histological trace due to immunological pressure. Since then, it has become apparent that both the tumor and the anti-cancer immune response evolve over a long period to allow the eventual escape of nascent precancerous lesions into full-blown tumors. Although primarily focusing on loss of antigenicity, the immunoediting hypothesis has gradually evolved to appreciate the role of active immunosuppression in tumor progression, where myeloid leukocytes are increasingly recognized as the major driving force. This review highlights recent studies implicating how myeloid cells with antigen-presenting capabilities are co-opted by tumors to promote malignant progression. Because at least some advanced tumors remain significantly immunogenic, these new studies add a tweak to the immunoediting hypothesis as well as a rationale to block immunosuppressive mechanisms as a first-line intervention in cancer patients.
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