Cancer immunoediting: from immunosurveillance to tumor escape

Abstract

The concept that the immune system can recognize and destroy nascent transformed cells was originally embodied in the cancer immunosurveillance hypothesis of Burnet and Thomas. This hypothesis was abandoned shortly afterwards because of the absence of strong experimental evidence supporting the concept. New data, however, clearly show the existence of cancer immunosurveillance and also indicate that it may function as a component of a more general process of cancer immunoediting. This process is responsible for both eliminating tumors and sculpting the immunogenic phenotypes of tumors that eventually form in immunocompetent hosts. In this review, we will summarize the historical and experimental basis of cancer immunoediting and discuss its dual roles in promoting host protection against cancer and facilitating tumor escape from immune destruction.

The ecology of brain tumors: lessons learned from neurofibromatosis-1

“…In the initial stages of tumor formation, recruited immune cells may suppress tumor formation through 'immunoediting' (Dighe et al, 1994;Dunn et al, 2002), which represents a process of cancer cell elimination by immune system cells. Following this initial period of elimination, some tumor cells will acquire the ability to escape immune recognition and exist in a state of dynamic equilibrium with the immune Figure 1 Hallmark changes acquired during colorectal cancer progression.…”

Translation and Clinical Development of Bispecific T‐cell Engaging Antibodies for Cancer Treatment

“…An immune surveillance theory was expanded by Burnet and Thomas 6, 7. Several decades later, data from animals and humans emerged linking cellular immune deficiency syndromes, either inborn or acquired, with increased rates of cancers 8. More recently, Schreiber and colleagues have conceptualized the bidirectional interactions between neoplasia and the immune system as “immunoediting” and consists of three phases, elimination, equilibrium, and escape 9…”

Biomarkers for the Development of Cancer Vaccines

“…Asymptomatic individuals often still possess an intact immune system, and hence immunotherapy is a viable option. Whilst the principle that the immune system is capable of controlling cancer is well established [38,[42][43][44], it is only in recent years that advances in immunotherapy have begun to show real clinical benefit [30,45]. Although this is attractive, pitfalls still exist, since it is important to identify patients with fully active immune systems to give them both the optimal chance of mounting a meaningful response and also to avoid subjecting them to treatments with a low probability of success.…”

“…In particular, Dunn and colleagues [38] demonstrated that mice lacking the interferon-γ receptor spontaneously developed tumors, suggesting that the immune system has a normal anticancer homeostatic function. More recent clinical data from Rosenberg's group, using T-cell transfer, shows remarkable clinical efficacy [39].…”