Masters of adaptation: How cancer and immune cell plasticity mediates tumor progression

Abstract

One of the greatest challenges to cancer therapy is tumor cell plasticity. Cancer cells can rapidly alter their phenotype to promote survival and evade immune cell attack, while the plasticity of other cells in the tumor microenvironment (such as immune cells, which need to be able to respond to a diverse range of bodily threats) can be leveraged to further promote tumor growth and progression. This Essay discusses the mutual plasticity of cancer and immune cells, with a focus on epithelial–mesenchymal plasticity in tumor cells, and explores how this interplay contributes to tumor progression and can be targeted therapeutically.