ABSTRACT
The idea that the immune system suppresses the development of cancer has circulated for many years. The killing of cancer cells and cells in the process of transformation by the immune system are generally accepted to occur, but the significance is not clear. Cancer cells have the advantage that they mutate faster than our defense system. Any pathogens or cancer cells that fall outside of their scope come under the remit of the adaptive immune system, which can deal with a wider range of pathogens that includes those that slip through the innate net. The unending, daily turnover of billions of cells is critical in the context of tissue integrity, organ function, and the suppression of cancer. There are cancer driver genes that are activated by single point mutations. However, billions of normal cells will have a host of proteins with many mutations that have nothing to do with tumor development.
