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Tumor Immunotherapy

Tumor Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy is a treatment that boosts or manipulates the immune system to fight diseases, including cancer. For instance, by stimulating an immune response through vaccinations against viruses that cause cancers, like hepatitis B virus and human papillomavirus, these diseases can be prevented. Nonetheless, some cancer cells can avoid the immune system due to their rapid mutation and division. The immune response to many cancers involves three phases: elimination, equilibrium, and escape.

What is the Immune System?

What is the Immune System?

Cell-mediated Immune Responses

Cell-mediated Immune Responses

Cells of the Adaptive Immune Response

Cells of the Adaptive Immune Response

The T and B lymphocytes of the adaptive immune system develop from common lymphoid progenitor cells in the bone marrow. These progenitors give rise to precursors that eventually develop into both T and B lymphocytes. As these precursors mature, they gain the ability to detect and respond to foreign antigens in the body, a process known as immunocompetence. Additionally, these precursors acquire self-tolerance, a process that ensures they do not react to self-antigens. This intricate system...

Humoral Immune Responses

Humoral Immune Responses

Cells of the Innate Immune Response

Cells of the Innate Immune Response

The innate immune response is an immediate and non-specific response against pathogens, acting swiftly to prevent the spread of infections. The primary cells involved in this response are phagocytes and natural killer (NK) cells.
Phagocytes
Phagocytes police the peripheral tissues by removing cellular debris and responding to the invasion of foreign substances or pathogens. Many phagocytes attack and remove microorganisms even before lymphocytes detect them. The human body has two general...

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T Cell Dysfunction in Cancer Immunity and Immunotherapy.

Anliang Xia¹, Yan Zhang², Jiang Xu³

¹Department of General Surgery, Liver Transplantation Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.

Frontiers in Immunology

|August 6, 2019

Summary

T cells in cancer develop dysfunction from constant antigen exposure, impacting their ability to fight tumors. Understanding these hallmarks is key for effective cancer immunotherapy strategies.

Keywords:

T cell dysfunction cancer immunity immunotherapy tumor microenvironment

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Area of Science:

Immunology
Oncology

Background:

Persistent antigen exposure in cancer leads to T cell dysfunction.
Dysfunctional T cells exhibit reduced proliferation, effector functions, and increased inhibitory receptor expression.
Tumor microenvironments create distinct T cell dysfunction states due to complex inhibitory signals.

Purpose of the Study:

To review the defining characteristics (hallmarks) of T cell dysfunction in the context of cancer.
To explore the intricate relationship between T cell dysfunction and the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy.

Main Methods:

Literature review of T cell dysfunction in cancer.
Analysis of T cell characteristics in the tumor microenvironment.
Examination of therapeutic strategies for T cell reactivation.

Main Results:

T cell dysfunction is a significant barrier in cancer immunity.
Distinct states of T cell dysfunction are observed.
Therapeutic reactivation of T cells shows promise in cancer treatment.

Conclusions:

Hallmarks of T cell dysfunction provide critical insights into cancer progression.
Targeting T cell dysfunction is a promising avenue for improving cancer immunotherapy outcomes.