Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2012 Feb 3;11(3):215-33.
doi: 10.1038/nrd3626.

The secret ally: immunostimulation by anticancer drugs

Lorenzo Galluzzi  1 , Laura Senovilla, Laurence Zitvogel, Guido Kroemer
Affiliations
Review

The secret ally: immunostimulation by anticancer drugs

Lorenzo Galluzzi et al. Nat Rev Drug Discov. .

Abstract

It has recently become clear that the tumour microenvironment, and in particular the immune system, has a crucial role in modulating tumour progression and response to therapy. Indicators of an ongoing immune response, such as the composition of the intratumoural immune infiltrate, as well as polymorphisms in genes encoding immune modulators, have been correlated with therapeutic outcome. Moreover, several anticancer agents--including classical chemotherapeutics and targeted compounds--stimulate tumour-specific immune responses either by inducing the immunogenic death of tumour cells or by engaging immune effector mechanisms. Here, we discuss the molecular and cellular circuitries whereby cytotoxic agents can activate the immune system against cancer, and their therapeutic implications.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Nat Rev Drug Discov. 2009 Aug;8(8):627-44 - PubMed
    1. Br J Cancer. 2006 Jan 30;94(2):259-67 - PubMed
    1. Blood. 2008 Feb 1;111(3):1625-33 - PubMed
    1. Br J Cancer. 2010 Oct 26;103(9):1415-21 - PubMed
    1. J Immunol. 2009 Jul 1;183(1):137-44 - PubMed

Publication types