title: Interleukin-10 and the immune response against cancer: a counterpoint.
abstract: Although interleukin-10 (IL-10) is commonly regarded as an anti-inflammatory, immunosuppressive cytokine that favors tumor escape from immune surveillance, a wealth of evidence is accumulating that IL-10 also possesses some immunostimulating properties. In fact, IL-10 has the pleiotropic ability of influencing positively and negatively the function of innate and adaptive immunity in different experimental models, which makes it questionable to merely categorize this cytokine as a target of anti-immune escape therapeutic strategies or rather, as an immunological adjuvant in the fight against cancer. Here, we review available data about the immunostimulating anticancer properties of IL-10, and in particular, we focus on the hypothesis that in contrast to what occurs in secondary lymphoid organs, IL-10 overexpression within the tumor microenvironment may catalyze cancer immune rejection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncological & Surgical Sciences, University of Padova, Italy. mocellins@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Simone
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mocellin
authors.forename: Francesco M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Marincola
authors.forename: Howard A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Young
mesh_terms: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000276:immunology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018448:Models, Immunological; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D016753:Interleukin-10