The Immunobiology of Cancer: From Tumor Escape to Cancer Immunoediting Towards Immunotherapy in Gynecologic Oncology

The immune system is known to play a pivotal role in cancer pathogenesis. In a dynamic balance between immune system and cancer cells, the first one recognizes the second as non-self and effectively clears them from the system. This phenomenon, called immune surveillance, is based on the interaction between antigen presenting cells and T lymphocytes that get activated eliciting a specific and enduring response. In certain circumstances, tumor cells are able to evade this mechanism allowing the tumor to develop. This mechanism is called tumor escape.