Cancer Immunosurveillance: Immunoediting

Cancer immunoediting is the process wherein immunity not only protects against cancer development but also promotes outgrowth of cancers capable of escaping immune control. As an extrinsic tumor suppressor, immunity exerts selective pressure on developing cancers that can favor outgrowth of cancer cells with reduced immunogenicity. The tumor sculpting action of immunity is a consequence of T cell-dependent immunoselection and/or epigenetic mechanisms that specifically target cancer cells expressing highly immunogenic cancer antigens including tumor-specific mutant neoantigens. Cancer immunoediting thus serves as a conceptual framework that explains the complex interactions that occur between the immune system and developing cancers.