A Comparative Analysis of Immune Privilege in Pregnancy and Cancer in the Context of Checkpoint Blockade Immunotherapy

Despite their abilities to elicit immune responses, both syngeneic tumors and the half-mismatched placenta grow in the host, unlike a tissue allograft that is aggressively rejected. This is due to local and systemic factors that contribute to the immunological privilege of tumors and the placenta. Checkpoint blockade immunotherapies subvert this privilege, with spectacularly beneficial outcomes in subsets of patients with certain types of cancer. A challenge for the community of scientists and clinicians is to replicate these successes in pregnant patients with cancer, without harm to the placenta.
Source: Seminars in Oncology - Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Source Type: research