ABSTRACT
Cancer-associated immunosuppression may be related to the immunomodulatory effects of both the underlying neoplasm and the various therapies (chemotherapeutic agents, radiation, surgery) used to treat the tumor. Importantly, the widespread use of hematopoietic cytokines and growth factors means that many patients now receive significantly greater doses of chemotherapy at shorter intervals, resulting in an increased risk of prolonged and severe immunodeficiency (1); albeit the quantitative immune dysfunction associated with chemotherapy is poorly defined and lacks clinical correlation (2). Finally, elderly cancer patients often have multiple comorbidities that increase the risk of immunosuppression.
