Immune Exhaustion in Chronic Infection and Cancer: Signaling Pathways and Therapeutic Interventions - PubMed
4 hours ago
- #immune exhaustion
- #chronic infection
- #cancer therapy
- Immune exhaustion is a state of sustained lymphocyte dysfunction caused by chronic antigenic stimulation, common in chronic infections and cancer.
- It actively promotes tumor progression by creating immunosuppressive environments and impairing cytotoxic T cell functions.
- Chronic infections can directly induce immune exhaustion through persistent inflammatory signaling, aiding tumor evasion and progression.
- The review introduces a 'chronic infection-exhaustion-tumor axis' and analyzes it with specific pathogens.
- Current therapeutic strategies to reverse immune exhaustion are evaluated, including CAR-T cell therapy and checkpoint blockade.
- The study integrates virology and immuno-oncology insights to propose precision oncology approaches targeting the infection-exhaustion-tumor axis.