Immunity, Inflammation and Immunotherapies

Innate Cancer immunology

Cancer immunology is a branch of immunology that studies interactions between the immune system and cancer cells (also called tumors or malignancies). It is a growing field of research that aims to discover innovative cancer immunotherapies to treat and retard progression of the disease. The immune response, including the recognition of cancer-specific antigens, is of particular interest in the field as knowledge gained drives the development of targeted therapy (such as new vaccines and antibody therapies) and tumor marker-based diagnostic tests. For instance in 2007, Ohtani published a paper finding tumour infiltrating lymphocytes to be quite significant in human colorectal cancer. The host was given a better chance at survival if the cancer tissue showed infiltration of inflammatory cells, in particular those prompting lymphocytic reactions. The results yielded suggest some extent of anti-tumour immunity is present in colorectal cancers in humans.