| Popis: |
The immune system conducts a continuous process of immunologic surveillance for new cancer cells that is likely capable of eradicating many potential malignancies before they become clinically evident. Nascent tumors can, however, use escape mechanisms to avoid this control. It is hoped that therapeutic manipulation of this balance between cancer and host may allow us to harness the immune system as an effective means of treating established tumors. This review summarizes the immunologic response, immunoediting, and clinical strategies in cancer immunotherapy. Figures show activation of CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes and CD4+ T helper cells by an antigen-presenting cell; inhibition of T cells specific for an antigen being presented in the absence of a full complement of costimulatory interactions, as might be present on an immature dendritic cell, engagement of cytotoxic T lymphocyte–associated protein 4 by B7, which serves to downregulate T cell function, and downregulation of major histocompatibility proteins on the surfaces of tumor cells; and the kinetics of activated T cell homeostasis in the presence of cancer. This review contains 3 figures and 39 references. |
