Role of Immune Cells in Cancers

Dear Colleagues,

I am delighted to announce a new Special Issue of the International Journal of Molecular Sciences, ‘Role of Immune Cells in Cancers’.

Fighting tumor cells is a challenge for the immune system, as tumor cells employ various immune escape mechanisms to evade the immune system, which is crucial for their persistence and progression. The interplay between (up- or down-regulated) markers, cells, or soluble factors forms a complex immune microenvironment that hinders effective immune responses against tumor cells.

The immune response against cancer cells is orchestrated by both the innate and adaptive immune systems. In a healthy organism, cells in the innate immune system act as the first line of defense; the adaptive immune system involves (tumor/infectious) antigen-specific B and T cell effector cell activation and specific long-term memory. The delicate balance between activation and regulation within the immune response by soluble or cellular components is crucial, as dysregulation can contribute to immune escape by tumor/infectious cells or autoimmune reactions.

Emerging treatments (e.g., cellular, antibody based, hypomethylating, apoptosis-inducing, or personalized mutation-targeting) strategies against cancer emphasize (personalized) approaches to improve patient outcomes. Immune monitoring (quantifying tumor or immune-cell-related functions) has become a crucial tool for guiding therapies, assessing immune response, detecting dysfunction, (potentially) predicting the quality of remissions or relapses, and contributing to prognosis.

The scope of this Special Issue includes research on human or animal hematopoietic or solid tumors and the role of soluble/released/nucleic acid related or cellular components of the immune system.

We are particularly interested in manuscripts that contribute to our understanding of tumor biology in detail and which deduce strategies to monitor the factors that contribute to improving therapy decisions and, as a consequence, patient prognosis.

Prof. Dr. Helga Maria Schmetzer
Guest Editor

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