Indicators of a pro-tumor immune response are evident at early stages of breast cancer

With advances in checkpoint inhibitor and CAR T-cell therapies, among other advances in immunotherapy, this is an exciting time to be a tumor immunologist. We are witnessing the transition of decades of work at the bench leading to substantial success in the clinic. While work continues developing new and improving existing immunotherapies, there remains a great deal of basic tumor immunology still to learn, information that can only lead to greater success in the clinic. One area in need of more attention is understanding the immune response at early stages of breast cancer. While there is no question that early diagnosis and treatment save lives, a greater understanding about the immune response during early stages of breast cancer may reveal information that could assist in monitoring individuals at risk of breast cancer, and could have implications for patients diagnosed at early stages of disease, and may provide important information about the origins of an immune-suppressive environment. Here, we review studies that have looked at the very early immune response to breast cancer focusing on patients with DCIS, before invasion in spontaneous transgenic murine mammary carcinoma models, and before transplantable or orthotopic murine mammary carcinoma models become palpable. The findings revealed that indicators of a pro-tumor immune response are already present at early stages of disease.