Abstract
Whereas preclinical investigations and clinical studies have established that CD8+ T cells can profoundly affect cancer progression, the underlying mechanisms are still elusive. Challenging the prevalent view that the beneficial effect of CD8+ T cells in cancer is solely attributable to their cytotoxic activity, several reports have indicated that the ability of CD8+T cells to promote tumor regression is dependent on their cytokine secretion profile and their ability to self-renew. Evidence has also shown that the tumor microenvironment can disarm CD8+ T cell immunity, leading to the emergence of dysfunctional CD8+ T cells. The existence of different types of CD8+ T cells in cancer calls for a more precise definition of the CD8+ T cell immune phenotypes in cancer and the abandonment of the generic terms “pro-tumor” and “antitumor.” Based on recent studies investigating the functions of CD8+ T cells in cancer, we here propose some guidelines to precisely define the functional states of CD8+T cells in cancer.
Original language | English |
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Journal | OncoImmunology |
Volume | 4 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 3 Apr 2015 |
Keywords
- Anergy
- Anticancer immunity
- CD8 T cells
- Cytotoxicity
- Effector
- Exhaustion
- IFNγ
- Senescence
- Stemness
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Immunology and Allergy
- Immunology
- Oncology