ABSTRACT
The cancer cell (tumor cell and cancer cell will be used interchangeably throughout) itself is a vital element in the T cell response against it. The relationship between the cancer cell and the T cell is complex (see Chapter 3) as far as an active immune response is concerned. The complexity extends to the response and the systemic conditions created by the cancer cell during its development and growth. Those systemic conditions affect other systems directly. However, indirectly some of the changes created by the cancer make it much more diffi cult for T cells to directly attack the cancer. The cancer cell can create diversions, which misdirect the T cell response in ways that are harmful to a patient. The cancer creates conditions that weaken the entire biological system.
