Cancer immunology—analysis of host and tumor factors for personalized medicine
- 9 August 2011
- journal article
- review article
- Published by Springer Science and Business Media LLC in Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology
- Vol. 8 (12), 711-719
- https://doi.org/10.1038/nrclinonc.2011.122
Abstract
Cancer immunology is an interactive field that requires the skills of oncologists and immunologists, in addition to other aspects, such as pathology. This Review uses colorectal cancer as a prototypical cancer and describes how molecular features and immune reactions are inter-related. Immune cells in the tumor microenvironment have an important role in regulating tumor progression. Therefore, stimulating immune reactions to tumors can be an attractive therapeutic and prevention strategy. Cancer cells and host cells constantly interact with each other in the tumor microenvironment; thus, cancer immunology is an interdisciplinary area where integrated analysis of both host and tumor factors is needed. Cancer represents a heterogeneous group of diseases with different genetic and epigenetic alterations; therefore, molecular classification of cancer (for example lung, prostate and breast cancers) is an important component in clinical decision making. However, most studies on antitumor immunity and clinical outcome lack analysis of tumor molecular biomarkers. In this Review, we discuss colorectal cancer as a prototypical example of cancer. Common molecular classifiers of colon cancer include KRAS, BRAF and PIK3CA mutations, microsatellite instability, LINE-1 methylation, and CpG island methylator phenotype. Since tumor molecular features and immune reactions are inter-related, a comprehensive assessment of these factors is critical. Examining the effects of tumor–host interactions on clinical outcome and prognosis represents an evolving interdisciplinary field of molecular pathological epidemiology. Pathological immunity evaluation may provide information on prognosis and help identify patients who are more likely to benefit from immunotherapy.Keywords
This publication has 142 references indexed in Scilit:
- Association of CTNNB1 (β-Catenin) Alterations, Body Mass Index, and Physical Activity With Survival in Patients With Colorectal CancerJAMA, 2011
- Initial genome sequencing and analysis of multiple myelomaNature, 2011
- DNA methylation predicts recurrence from resected stage III proximal colon cancerCancer, 2010
- Tumour‐infiltrating T‐cell subsets, molecular changes in colorectal cancer, and prognosis: cohort study and literature reviewThe Journal of Pathology, 2010
- Negative Lymph Node Count Is Associated With Survival of Colorectal Cancer Patients, Independent of Tumoral Molecular Alterations and Lymphocytic ReactionThe American Journal of Gastroenterology, 2010
- Aspirin Use and Survival After Diagnosis of Colorectal CancerJAMA, 2009
- Use of tumour-responsive T cells as cancer treatmentThe Lancet, 2009
- LINE‐1 hypomethylation is inversely associated with microsatellite instability and CpG island methylator phenotype in colorectal cancerInternational Journal of Cancer, 2008
- Abrogation of TGFβ Signaling in Mammary Carcinomas Recruits Gr-1+CD11b+ Myeloid Cells that Promote MetastasisCancer Cell, 2008
- Tissue microarrays for high-throughput molecular profiling of tumor specimensNature Medicine, 1998