title: Cellular Immune Responses and Immune Escape Mechanisms in Breast Cancer: Determinants of Immunotherapy.
abstract: More recently, immunotherapy has emerged as a novel potentially effective therapeutic option also for solid malignancies such as breast cancer (BC). Relevant approaches, however, are determined by the 2 main elements of cancer immunoediting - the elimination of nascent transformed cells by immunosurveillance on the one hand and tumor immune escape on the other hand. Correspondingly, we here review the role of the various cellular immune players within the host-protective system and dissect the mechanisms of immune evasion leading to tumor progression. If the immune balance of disseminated BC cell dormancy (equilibrium phase) is lost, distant metastatic relapse may occur. The relevant cellular antitumor responses and translational immunotherapeutic options will also be discussed in terms of clinical benefit and future directions in BC management.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Heidelberg University Hospital, National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Domschke
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Heidelberg University Hospital, National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schneeweiss
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Heidelberg University Hospital, National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Stefanovic
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Heidelberg University Hospital, National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wallwiener
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Heidelberg University Hospital, National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Joerg
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Heil
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Heidelberg University Hospital, National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Joachim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rom
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Heidelberg University Hospital, National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Christof
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sohn
authors.affiliation: Regensburg Center for Interventional Immunology (RCI) and University Medical Center of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Philipp
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Beckhove
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Heidelberg University Hospital, National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Florian
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Schuetz
keywords: Breast cancer; Cellular immunity; Immune escape; Immunoediting; Immunosurveillance; Immunotherapy