Experimental and clinical experience demonstrates that the resolution of a pathogenic challenge depends not only on the presence or absence of an immune reaction, but also on the initiation of the proper type of immune reaction. The initiation of a non-protective type of immune reaction will not only result in a lack of protection, but may also exacerbate the underlying condition. For example, in cancer, constituents of the immune system have been shown to augment tumor proliferation, angiogenesis, and metastases. This review discusses the duality of the role of the immune system in cancer, from the theories of immunosurveillance and immunostimulation to current studies, which illustrate that the immune system has both a protective role and a tumor-promoting role in neoplasia. The potential of using chemotherapy to inhibit a tumor-promoting immune reaction is also discussed.

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https://tspace.library.utoronto.ca/bitstream/1807/85051/1/12967_2004_Article_68.pdf

Immunosuppression after single and multiple pulse doses of 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene in the rat.

Revisiting immunosurveillance and immunostimulation: Implications for cancer immunotherapy.

Colorectal cancer is the second most common malignant human neoplasia. Over recent years, many efforts have been performed in order to develop and improve therapeutic protocols, and many advances have been accomplished in both the field of adjuvant and palliative therapy. Most of the chemotherapic agents currently used in the clinical setting are the products of decades of research aimed at inhibiting the uncontrolled growth of dysplastic cells. However, new frontiers in this field have recently been opened, with the identification of key molecules involved in physiologic mechanisms that are of fundamental importance for cancer development and progression. Tumor-induced angiogenesis, the cancer–immune system crosstalk and the effect of growth factors on dysplastic cells represent new fields of investigation for anticancer therapy.

Immunosuppression after single and multiple pulse doses of 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene in the rat.

Citations

Revisiting immunosurveillance and immunostimulation: Implications for cancer immunotherapy.

Angiogenesis, immune system and growth factors: new targets in colorectal cancer therapy.

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