Cancer Immunity

Abstract

Tumors are highly complex tissues consisting, beside the transformed cells, of various non-transformed cells including immune cells. Tumor-associated immunity has been a major focus of research in oncology recently due to the now widely accepted notion that immunity critically shapes tumor development. While chronic inflammation can favor tumorigenesis largely by promoting cellular transformation, immune cells can recognize cancer cells as altered-self and eliminate them. However, tumors that have escaped immune attack have found ways to educated immune cells to actively support tumor development. We summarize the multifactorial of immunity with transformed cells, focusing on the key elements involved in the generation of antitumor responses: the cellular and molecular components of the immune system. On this basis, we discuss the current efforts to develop immunotherapeutic approaches with the goal to fight cancer, and delineate future challenges in anti-cancer immunotherapy.