title: Immune reaction and colorectal cancer: friends or foes?
abstract: The potential clinical impact of enhancing antitumor immunity is increasingly recognized in oncology therapeutics for solid tumors. Colorectal cancer is one of the most studied neoplasms for the tumor-host immunity relationship. Although immune cell populations involved in such a relationship and their prognostic role in colorectal cancer development have clearly been identified, still no approved therapies based on host immunity intensification have so far been introduced in clinical practice. Moreover, a recognized risk in enhancing immune reaction for colitis-associated colorectal cancer development has limited the emphasis of this approach. The aim of the present review is to discuss immune components involved in the host immune reaction against colorectal cancer and analyze the fine balance between pro-tumoral and anti-tumoral effect of immunity in this model of disease.
authors.affiliation: Vincenzo Formica, Vittore Cereda, Antonella Nardecchia, Mario Roselli, Medical Oncology Unit, 'Tor Vergata' University Hospital, 00133 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Formica
authors.affiliation: Vincenzo Formica, Vittore Cereda, Antonella Nardecchia, Mario Roselli, Medical Oncology Unit, 'Tor Vergata' University Hospital, 00133 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Vittore
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Cereda
authors.affiliation: Vincenzo Formica, Vittore Cereda, Antonella Nardecchia, Mario Roselli, Medical Oncology Unit, 'Tor Vergata' University Hospital, 00133 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonella
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nardecchia
authors.affiliation: Vincenzo Formica, Vittore Cereda, Antonella Nardecchia, Mario Roselli, Medical Oncology Unit, 'Tor Vergata' University Hospital, 00133 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Manfredi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tesauro
authors.affiliation: Vincenzo Formica, Vittore Cereda, Antonella Nardecchia, Mario Roselli, Medical Oncology Unit, 'Tor Vergata' University Hospital, 00133 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Roselli
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003092:Colitis / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D006801:Humans; D018836:Inflammation Mediators / Q000378:metabolism; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism; D007422:Intestines / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D016246:Lymphocytes, Tumor-Infiltrating / Q000145:classification / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D012307:Risk Factors; D015398:Signal Transduction; D019139:Tumor Escape
chemical_list: D018836:Inflammation Mediators
keywords: Adaptive immunity; Antitumor immunity; Colitis-associated colorectal cancer; Innate immunity