Immune system
The body's defence network of cells and molecules that recognises and destroys infected, foreign and abnormal cells. It kills most would-be cancers before they are ever noticed; the ones that survive have learned to hide from it.
The innate arm (macrophages, neutrophils, natural killer cells, dendritic cells) responds fast and generically; the adaptive arm (T cells and B cells) learns specific targets and remembers them. Tumours are recognised because they display mutated proteins and stress signals, but successful tumours evade destruction by displaying 'don't attack me' checkpoint signals, hiding their antigens, recruiting suppressive cells, and walling themselves off; 'avoiding immune destruction' is one of the hallmarks of cancer. Immunotherapy in its many forms (checkpoint inhibitors, engineered T cells, bispecifics, vaccines) works by restoring or engineering the immune system's ability to see and kill the tumour.
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not linked directly; found by shared links- TermMonoclonal
- TermLymphoma (tissue type)
Shares Lymph node, B cell, Antibody, T cell.
- TermEpitope
- TermImmune exclusion
Shares Hallmark: avoiding immune destruction, Tumour microenvironment (TME), Hot vs cold tumours.
- TermTumour-associated macrophages (TAMs)
Shares Macrophage, Tumour microenvironment (TME).
- TermMyeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs)
Shares Macrophage, Tumour microenvironment (TME).
- TargetLAG-3
Shares Hallmark: avoiding immune destruction, Immune checkpoint, T cell.
- TermFc engineering / effector function