ABSTRACT
Host immunity is fundamental to the suppression of human cancer. Conversely, host immune evasion by tumor cells is an essential pathway in the development of human cancer. The concept of cancer immune editing is well described in animal models whereby tumors are capable of subverting host immunity despite developing frequent genetic aberrations with the potential to generate immunogenic neo-antigens.1 The three phases of immune editing are as follows: elimination (host immune system responds to tumor neo-antigens and destroys tumor cells), equilibrium (immune evasive tumor cells persist; however, growth and metastasis are restrained by residual host immunity), and escape (tumor cells overcome immune control and can develop into clinically evident cancers). The development of clinically apparent tumors indicates failure of the host immune system to recognize and destroy incipient cancers.
