The innate and the adaptive immune systems work in concert to deal with pathologies introduced by external factors (e.g. viruses, bacteria and fungai) and internal factors associated with autoimmune and cancerous cells. Mechanistically, those internal factors are responsible for the hypo- and hyper-function of immune tolerance apparatus that could lead to the development of autoimmune diseases and malignancies, respectively.
The immunopathology underlies cancer and autoimmune diseases has been explained in part to be the result of the therapeutic means. For instance, using anti-TNFalpha monoclonal antibody in autoimmune diseases could adversely result in the development of skin cancer. Yet, in the last decade the study of cancer and autoimmunity suggested that these two entities might be two opposed extreme end-points of an immune response spectrum, where the over-expression of certain molecules could result in malignancies while deficient expression of the same molecules could lead to the development of autoimmune diseases.
We encourage the submission of papers presenting and discussing potential molecules with dual role in cancer and autoimmunity in dependency with their intensity of expression.
The innate and the adaptive immune systems work in concert to deal with pathologies introduced by external factors (e.g. viruses, bacteria and fungai) and internal factors associated with autoimmune and cancerous cells. Mechanistically, those internal factors are responsible for the hypo- and hyper-function of immune tolerance apparatus that could lead to the development of autoimmune diseases and malignancies, respectively.
The immunopathology underlies cancer and autoimmune diseases has been explained in part to be the result of the therapeutic means. For instance, using anti-TNFalpha monoclonal antibody in autoimmune diseases could adversely result in the development of skin cancer. Yet, in the last decade the study of cancer and autoimmunity suggested that these two entities might be two opposed extreme end-points of an immune response spectrum, where the over-expression of certain molecules could result in malignancies while deficient expression of the same molecules could lead to the development of autoimmune diseases.
We encourage the submission of papers presenting and discussing potential molecules with dual role in cancer and autoimmunity in dependency with their intensity of expression.