The Roles of Immune Cell Homeostasis in Cancer Research and Therapeutic Response

Recent years have seen the diverse immune cells in the tumor microenvironment (TEM) display a central role in regulating cancer pathogenesis and therapeutic response. The dynamic homeostasis of tumor-immune cell interaction has been identified as a promising therapeutic strategy for various cancers by stimulating the host immune system. Multiple therapies have been demonstrated to alleviate such immune disorders and restore immune cell homeostasis. However, in some special circumstances, this homeostasis is not well maintained, resulting in the under-or over-activated immune responses. In particular, because of the failure of immune cell homeostasis, some cancer cells become resistant to the common therapeutic methods, including radiotherapy and chemotherapy, resulting in treatment failure. Therefore, there is a clear need to explore the significant implications of immune cell homeostasis in various cancers. Furthermore, exploring the underlying molecular mechanisms and biological functions of the tumor-immune cell interplay is being widely recognized to improve the treatment efficacy in clinical practice. In summary, this issue would pave the way for a better understanding of immune cell regulation in cancer pathogenesis, offering novel therapeutic paradigms to improve the efficacy of cancer management.

Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:
• Immune cell-based strategies for cancer research and treatment
• The interaction between cancer cells and immune cells
• The molecular mechanisms of tumor-infiltrating immune cell regulation
• Underlying roles of cancer-associated molecules in the immune cell infiltration
• Clinical or bioinformatics analyses to explore the Immune cell-based therapeutic targets

Please note that the research based solely on in silico techniques will not be considered for review. The authors should also demonstrate the applicability of their anticancer modalities on a minimum of two well-authenticated cancer cell lines (ideally originating from distinct organs/tissues). The utilization of in vivo models must also be supported by such evidence.

Keywords: Immune cell homeostasis, Immune cell infiltration, Tumor-immune cell interaction, Cancer research, Therapeutic response

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