Cancer vaccines and tumor dormancy: a long-term struggle between host antitumor immunity and persistent cancer cells?

Abstract

Tumor dormancy is a phenomenon characterized by the persistence of residual cancer cells for long periods in the host. Evidence has emerged that a balance exists between the immune response and dormant tumor cells. This review presents our current understanding of the immune relationship between host and dormant tumor cells and the mechanism developed by these cells to escape host antitumor immunity. Implications of this immune escape for cancer vaccine strategy are considered.

Keywords::

• B7-H1
• CXCL10
• cytotoxic T cells
• natural killer
• PD-L1
• stem cell
• tumor dormancy