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Originally published online as doi:10.1189/jlb.1107774 on May 30, 2008

Published online before print May 30, 2008
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(Journal of Leukocyte Biology. 2008;84:988-993.)
© 2008 by Society for Leukocyte Biology

Immune-mediated dormancy: an equilibrium with cancer

Michele W. L. Teng*,1, Jeremy B. Swann*,1, Catherine M. Koebel{dagger}, Robert D. Schreiber{dagger} and Mark J. Smyth*,2

* Cancer Immunology Program, Trescowthick Laboratories, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; and
{dagger} Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA

2 Correspondence: Cancer Immunology Program, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Locked Bag 1, A’Beckett St., 8006, Victoria, Australia. E-mail: mark.smyth{at}petermac.org

ABSTRACT

This brief review discusses the role of the immune system in tumor development, covering a history of cancer immunity and a summary of the concept of cancer immunoediting, including its three phases: elimination, equilibrium, and escape. The latter half of this review then focuses specifically on the equilibrium phase, making note of previous work, suggesting that immunity might maintain cancer in a dormant state, and concluding with a description of a tractable mouse model unequivocally demonstrating that immunity can indeed hold preformed cancer in check. These findings form a framework for future studies aimed at validating immune-mediated cancer dormancy in humans with the hopes of devising new, immunotherapeutic strategies to treat established cancer.

Key Words: immunoediting • elimination • escape