title: Effects of the tumor microenvironment on the efficacy of tumor immunotherapy.
abstract: Cancer immunotherapy utilizes vaccines targeting tumor antigens or tumor endothelium to prevent or regress tumors. Many cancer vaccines are designed to induce antigen-specific effector T cells that migrate to the tumor site. In an optimal situation, the effector T cells penetrate the tumor, release their effector molecules, induce tumor cell death and tumor regression. However, the tumor microenvironment is frequently immunosuppressive and contributes to a state of immune ignorance, impacting on the vaccine's ability to break tolerance to tumor antigen/s. This review discusses the factors in the tumor microenvironment that can affect the efficacy of cancer vaccines. In particular, the review focuses on pathways leading to effector T cell penetration of tumors or the inhibition of this process.
authors.affiliation: Microbiology Department, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-6076, USA.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Neeson
authors.forename: Yvonne
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Paterson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000276:immunology; D019496:Cancer Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*; D002634:Chemotaxis, Leukocyte / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007167:Immunotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000276:immunology; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology* / Q000628:therapy*; D050794:STAT1 Transcription Factor / Q000276:immunology; D050796:STAT3 Transcription Factor / Q000276:immunology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D019496:Cancer Vaccines; D050794:STAT1 Transcription Factor; D050796:STAT3 Transcription Factor; D007371:Interferon-gamma