Tumor immune surveillance

Our understanding of tumor immune surveillance has evolved considerably since the cancer immunosurveillance hypothesis was formally proposed in 1970. This chapter presents the current framework of immunosurveillance in cancer, including critical historical insights that lend perspective to initial setbacks in cancer immunology as a field. We now see tumor immune editing as a concept that revolves around three processes, termed the three Es: elimination, equilibrium, and escape. Recent data relating this concept to tumor-associated antigens, oncogene-induced senescence, effects from the microbiome, and individuals who are immunocompromised are discussed, providing a global understanding of the role of the immune system in tumor formation and progression.