The Function of the Immune System, Beyond Strategies Based on Cell‐Autonomous Mechanisms, Determines Cancer Development: Immune Response and Cancer Development

Abstract

Although cancer remains a challenging disease to treat, early detection and removal of primary tumors through surgery or chemotherapy/radiotherapy can offer hope for patients. The privilege paradigm in cancer biology suggests that cell‐autonomous mechanisms play a central role in tumorigenesis. According to this paradigm, these cellular mechanisms are the primary focus for the prevention and treatment of cancers. However, this point of view does not present a comprehensive theory for the initiation of cancer and an effective therapeutic strategy. Having an incomplete understanding of the etiology of cancer, it is essential to re‐examine previous assumptions about carcinogenesis and develop new, practical theories that can account for all available clinical and experimental evidence. This will not only help to gain a better understanding of the disease, but also offer new avenues for treatment. This review provides evidence suggesting a shift in focus from a cell‐autonomous mechanism to systemic mechanisms, particularly the immune system, that are involved in cancer formation.