Year: 2001
Type: dissertation
Abstract: The immune system serves as a protective system against infectious agents such as\\nbacteria, viruses and parasites. Foreign molecules (antigens) can be recognized by\\nthe immune system and induce an immune response resulting in destruction and\\nelimination of the pathogens. In addition to infectious agents, also tumor cells can\\ndistingnish themselves from normal cells either by quantitative and/or qualitative\\ndifferent expression of genetic information. This idea forms the basis of cancer\\nimmunotherapy, which aims at the elimination of tumor cells using the patient\\'s\\nnatural immune system. The concept of tumor-specific immune reactivity goes back\\nto the postulation of immunesurveillance as formulated by Ehrlich in 1909 and\\nadapted by Burnet in 1970. They proposed that the immune system might be\\ncapable of eliminating tumor cells in the same way that protects us from foreign\\nagents, i.e. immunosurveillance. Although there might be immunesurveillance, this\\nmechanism is not dominant, as tumor cells may escape the immune system resulting\\nin uncontrolled cell proliferation and tumor formation. Therefore, effective anticancer\\nimmunotherapy should be directed at the manipulation and enhancement of\\nthe immune capacity to fight cancer cells. This can be accomplished either in an\\nactive way, by activating and amplifying the destructive potential of the individual\\'s\\nendogenous immune cells able to recognize and destroy the tumor, or in a passive\\nway by providing ex vivo activated immune cells with anti-tumor capacity to a\\ntumor-bearing individual.
Author: M. E. M. Weijtens
Language: English
Subfield: Immunology
Field: Immunology and Microbiology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W1538561890