About this Research Topic
Due to the remarkable success of the Research Topic 'New Insights in Veterinary Cancer Immunology' and the rapidly evolving subject area, we are pleased to launch Volume II for this topic.
The tumour microenvironment (TME) is essential for cancer maintenance and is responsible for several antitumor characteristics, such as immune system avoidance, resistance to anticancer therapies, invasion, and metastasis. The TME is composed of several components, including fibroblasts, extracellular matrix proteins, pericytes, and immune cells. The immune cells, including T-lymphocytes, are responsible for fighting cancer cells, inducing cell death. However, cancer cells develop several mechanisms to avoid the immune system, including mutations to change the antigens originally recognised by T-cells. Tumours that can avoid the immune system, including the T-cell antitumor response, are known as nonimmunogenic tumours or “cold” tumours. The main characteristic of this tumour subtype is lack of response to immunotherapy drugs. In contrast, immunogenic, or “hot” tumours have an active T-cell antitumor response and respond well to immunotherapy. Therefore, elucidating the TME characteristics is the first step for the application in clinical practice.
In recent years, there has been progress in understanding how the immune system and inflammation are associated with different cancer subtypes. In 2018, the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine was awarded for the discovery of cancer therapy by the inhibition of negative immune regulation. Since then, there has been an increase in global attention directed towards the immune system and its implications for cancer therapy. Tumour progression is highly dependent of modifications in the TME, which are directly related with patient’s prognosis and present direct impacts on chemotherapy efficiency. Investigating and comprehending the TME composition during tumour progression allows new therapeutic strategies and approaches personalized to each patient. Thus, understanding its complex interactions leads to different strategies to reprogramming TME for therapeutic purposes. The main goal of this special issue is to bring together manuscripts focused on cancer immunology with a translational approach.
We welcome Original Research and Review articles from investigators worldwide that will stimulate the continuing efforts to understand the interactions with tumour microenvironment, including:
1) Identification of immune cells as a prognostic factor for cancer in veterinary patients.
2) Stratification of tumour in animals according to its immunological content (hot or cold tumours)
3) Specific therapies targeting immune system components with translational potential
4) Genetic and epigenetic cancer modifications associated with the immune cells
5) Therapeutic implications of antitumor vaccines in small animals
The tumour microenvironment (TME) is essential for cancer maintenance and is responsible for several antitumor characteristics, such as immune system avoidance, resistance to anticancer therapies, invasion, and metastasis. The TME is composed of several components, including fibroblasts, extracellular matrix proteins, pericytes, and immune cells. The immune cells, including T-lymphocytes, are responsible for fighting cancer cells, inducing cell death. However, cancer cells develop several mechanisms to avoid the immune system, including mutations to change the antigens originally recognised by T-cells. Tumours that can avoid the immune system, including the T-cell antitumor response, are known as nonimmunogenic tumours or “cold” tumours. The main characteristic of this tumour subtype is lack of response to immunotherapy drugs. In contrast, immunogenic, or “hot” tumours have an active T-cell antitumor response and respond well to immunotherapy. Therefore, elucidating the TME characteristics is the first step for the application in clinical practice.
In recent years, there has been progress in understanding how the immune system and inflammation are associated with different cancer subtypes. In 2018, the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine was awarded for the discovery of cancer therapy by the inhibition of negative immune regulation. Since then, there has been an increase in global attention directed towards the immune system and its implications for cancer therapy. Tumour progression is highly dependent of modifications in the TME, which are directly related with patient’s prognosis and present direct impacts on chemotherapy efficiency. Investigating and comprehending the TME composition during tumour progression allows new therapeutic strategies and approaches personalized to each patient. Thus, understanding its complex interactions leads to different strategies to reprogramming TME for therapeutic purposes. The main goal of this special issue is to bring together manuscripts focused on cancer immunology with a translational approach.
We welcome Original Research and Review articles from investigators worldwide that will stimulate the continuing efforts to understand the interactions with tumour microenvironment, including:
1) Identification of immune cells as a prognostic factor for cancer in veterinary patients.
2) Stratification of tumour in animals according to its immunological content (hot or cold tumours)
3) Specific therapies targeting immune system components with translational potential
4) Genetic and epigenetic cancer modifications associated with the immune cells
5) Therapeutic implications of antitumor vaccines in small animals
Keywords: immune system, t-lymphocytes, hot tumors, comparative oncology
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
