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This eBook is a collection of articles from a Frontiers Research Topic. Frontiers Research Topics are very popular trademarks of the Frontiers Journals Series: they are collections of at least ten articles, all centered on a particular subject. With their unique mix of varied contributions from Original Research to Review Articles, Frontiers Research Topics unify the most influential researchers, the latest key findings and historical advances in a hot research area! Find out more on how to host your own Frontiers Research Topic or contribute to one as an author by contacting the Frontiers Editorial Office: frontiersin.org/about/contact

Cell stress --- ER stress --- immune regulation --- tumor immunity --- mental stress

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The brief description of tumours being “wounds that do not heal” by Dr Harold F. Dworak nearly three decades ago (N Engl J Med 1986) has provided not only a vivid illustration of neoplastic diseases in general but also, in retrospect conceptually, a plausible immunological definition of cancers. Based on our current understanding in the field, it could have even a multi-dimensional meaning attached with. This relates to several important issues which need to be addressed further, i.e. in terms of a close link between chronic inflammation and tumourigenesis widely observed; clinical and experimental evidence of immunity against tumours versus the highly immunosuppressive tumour microenvironment being associated; and their underlying immunological mechanisms, oncogenic basis, as well as the true causal relationship in question. Recent findings from studies into the pathogenesis of autoimmunity and, more importantly, the mechanisms which protect against it, have offered some new insights for our understanding in this direction. Chronic or persistent autoimmune-like inflammatory conditions are evidently associated with tumor development. The important question is about their true causal relationship. Chronic or persistent inflammation has been shown to contribute directly to tumour development by triggering neoplastic transformation and production of inflammatory mediators which could promote cancer cell survival, proliferation and invasion. On the other hand, tumours are mutated self-tissue cells to which the host immune system is largely tolerized otherwise. Although the mutations may give rise to the expression of tumour-specific antigens (TSA) or tumour-associated antigens (TAA), most of these TSAs/TAAs are found to be poor immunogens. The ongoing inflammatory conditions may therefore reflect a desperate attempt of the host immune system to mount anti-tumour responses, though ineffectively, being a consequence of the continuous yet largely futile triggering by those poorly immunogenic TSAs/TAAs. Furthermore, during autoimmune or overtly persistent immunological responses, many regulatory mechanisms are triggered in the host in attempts to limit the ongoing harmful inflammatory reactions. Such a negative feedback regulation is known to be crucial in preventing normal individuals from immune-mediated diseases. As a result of the negative feedback loop, however, an excessive production of anti-inflammatory or immunosuppressive molecules followed by the exhaustion of the immune effector cells may instead lower the ability of the host immune system to mount specific anti-tumor responses, allowing the escape of tumour or mutated cells from immunosurveillance. This may also help to explain why the most effective way to enhance host immunity against cancer is by targeting the negative arm of immune regulation. In this Frontiers Research Topic, we aim to gather current views from experts in these inherent overlapping fields of oncology, autoimmunity and tumour immunology, and to make them available to our potential readership who may be particularly interested in this cutting-edge area. By understanding how the immune system is normally regulated, why dysregulation of which may cause the immunological-oncological related diseases, we also encourage further discussions as to how the so-called "self-reactivity" (autoimmune responses) can be alternatively switched on and redirected, immunologically or molecularly, for effective cancer treatment.

Autoimmunity --- tumour immunotherapy --- Immunosuppression --- tumourigenesis --- Immune Regulation --- Inflammation --- anti-tumour immunity --- Cancer

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This eBook is a collection of articles from a Frontiers Research Topic. Frontiers Research Topics are very popular trademarks of the Frontiers Journals Series: they are collections of at least ten articles, all centered on a particular subject. With their unique mix of varied contributions from Original Research to Review Articles, Frontiers Research Topics unify the most influential researchers, the latest key findings and historical advances in a hot research area! Find out more on how to host your own Frontiers Research Topic or contribute to one as an author by contacting the Frontiers Editorial Office: frontiersin.org/about/contact

Medicine --- Immunology --- Inflammation --- immune regulation --- chronic disease --- metabolic disease --- cardiovascular disease --- autoimmune --- cancer

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Significant efforts over the last two decades have been made to better understand the factors that control DC maturation and activation and the impact of these processes on overall host immunity. In addition to the well-characterized role of DC in the induction of immunity to pathogens, a role for these cells as critical regulators of anti-tumor immune responses has more recently become apparent. These findings have generated interest in understanding how tumor/DC interactions impact the quality of anti-tumor immune responses, and they have contributed to increased enthusiasm for a variety of DC-based cancer immunotherapies. Such strategies have included DNA- or peptide-based vaccines that involve uptake and processing of tumor antigens by endogenous DC in cancer patients or the administration of tumor antigen-loaded exogenous DC-based vaccines. Additionally, many adjuvant, cytokine, and monoclonal antibody therapies aim either to enhance the immunostimulatory capacity of endogenous DC or to supplement the activity of these cells by targeting costimulatory receptors on T cells. Despite the promise of such therapeutic approaches for cancer treatment, their success is often limited, and much remains to be understood about how tumors influence DC function and the quality of DC-mediated immune responses. Tumor/DC interactions have therefore become an increasingly active area of investigation, and many studies have described effects of tumors on DC phenotype and function that include an accumulation of immature DC within tumors, tumor-altered differentiation of DC precursors into myeloid-derived suppressor cells, and the generation of tumor-associated DC with immunoregulatory properties. As this field moves forward, it will be important to gain mechanistic insights into the basis for both tumor-mediated DC dysfunction as well as the induction of either suboptimal or immunosuppressive adaptive anti-tumor immune responses by tumor-associated DC. Progress in these areas of tumor immunology will greatly improve our understanding of the factors that contribute to effective DC-mediated anti-tumor immune control versus DC-associated anti-tumor immune dysfunction and subsequent tumor immune escape. Such information is vital for improving current and developing novel immunotherapeutic strategies for interfering with tumor-associated DC dysfunction and enhancing the functional quality of endogenous DC in cancer patients as well as the efficacy of exogenous DC-based anti-tumor vaccines. The articles contained within this special issue highlight these important topics and bring focus not only to our current understanding of tumor/DC interactions but also to major areas of investigation that remain ongoing in this field.

Dendritic cells. --- Tumors. --- cross-presentation --- tumor --- cancer immunotherapy --- Immune Regulation --- dendritic cell --- tumor immune evasion

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This eBook is a collection of articles from a Frontiers Research Topic. Frontiers Research Topics are very popular trademarks of the Frontiers Journals Series: they are collections of at least ten articles, all centered on a particular subject. With their unique mix of varied contributions from Original Research to Review Articles, Frontiers Research Topics unify the most influential researchers, the latest key findings and historical advances in a hot research area! Find out more on how to host your own Frontiers Research Topic or contribute to one as an author by contacting the Frontiers Editorial Office: frontiersin.org/about/contact

Medicine --- Immunology --- Inflammation --- immune regulation --- chronic disease --- metabolic disease --- cardiovascular disease --- autoimmune --- cancer