title: Escape from immunotherapy: possible mechanisms that influence tumor regression/progression.
abstract: Tumor escape is one major obstacle that has to be addressed prior to designing and delivering successful immunotherapy. There is compelling evidence to support the notion that immunogenic tumors, in murine models and cancer patients, can be rejected by the immune system under optimum conditions for activating adaptive and nonadaptive antitumor immune responses. Despite this capability, a large number of tumors continue to grow and evade recognition and/or destruction by the immune system. The limited success in current immunotherapeutic strategies may be due to a variety of reasons: failure of effector cells to compete with the growing tumor burden, production of humoral factors by tumors that locally block cytotoxicity, antigen/MHC loss, T-cell dysfunction, production of suppressor T cells-to name but a few causes for therapeutic ineffectiveness for the particular malignancy being treated. To optimize immunotherapy strategies, correction of immune-activating signals, eradication of inhibitory factors, and the evasion from newly developed immunoresistant tumor phenotypes need to be simultaneously considered.
authors.affiliation: School of Science, Nottingham Trent University, Clifton, Nottingham, UK.
authors.forename: Murrium
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ahmad
authors.forename: Robert C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Rees
authors.forename: Selman A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Ali
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000276:immunology; D017209:Apoptosis; D018122:B7-1 Antigen / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D016207:Cytokines / Q000502:physiology; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000276:immunology; D018450:Disease Progression; D015316:Genetic Therapy; D006801:Humans; D007157:Immunologic Surveillance; D007167:Immunotherapy; D016131:Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology* / Q000628:therapy; D009374:Neoplasms, Experimental / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D015398:Signal Transduction; D017211:Treatment Failure; D014366:Tryptophan Oxygenase / Q000502:physiology; D019139:Tumor Escape / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology; D019014:fas Receptor / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D018122:B7-1 Antigen; D016207:Cytokines; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D019014:fas Receptor; D014366:Tryptophan Oxygenase