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Immunogenic cell death in cancer therapy

Guido Kroemer1, Lorenzo Galluzzi, Oliver Kepp

  • 1U848. kroemer@orange.fr

Annual Review of Immunology
|November 20, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Immunogenic cell death (ICD) is crucial for activating the immune system against cancer and ensuring treatment success. Failures in ICD induction, signaling, or recognition can lead to therapeutic failure.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Oncology
  • Cell Biology

Background:

  • Cancer cell death can be immunogenic or nonimmunogenic, depending on the stimulus.
  • Immunogenic cell death (ICD) involves specific cell surface changes and mediator release, sequentially activating immune cells.
  • ICD is a key pathway for anti-cancer immune responses.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To elucidate the role of immunogenic cell death (ICD) in cancer therapy outcomes.
  • To explore how ICD failure impacts therapeutic success.
  • To investigate the role of ICD in antiviral immunity.

Main Methods:

  • The study is primarily theoretical, postulating mechanisms based on existing literature.
  • It analyzes the sequential events of ICD and immune cell interactions.
  • It discusses factors contributing to therapeutic failure related to ICD.

Main Results:

  • ICD activates dendritic cells to present tumor antigens to T cells, crucial for anti-cancer immunity.
  • Therapeutic failure can result from regimens that do not induce ICD.
  • Cancer cell alterations or immune defects can also prevent effective ICD recognition.

Conclusions:

  • ICD is a critical determinant of long-term anticancer therapy success.
  • Suboptimal ICD induction, cancer cell evasion, or immune system defects can lead to treatment failure.
  • ICD and its subversion by pathogens are also significant in antiviral immune responses.

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