D. Grazziotin-Soares, J.-P. Lotz

Oncologie, Vol.21, No.1, pp. 69-72, 2019, DOI:10.3166/onco-2019-0030

Abstract Several studies have shown an association between Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection and some human cancers such as a subgroup of gastric carcinomas. The oncogenic potential of EBV has been widely explored but the exact processes conducting carcinogenesis are not yet fully understood. EBV-encoded viral proteins are known to deregulate the DNA damage response (DDR) signaling pathways. DDR inactivation leads to genomic instability and promote cellular transformation to generate malignant cells. In a recently published article in Nature Medicine, a molecular characterization of tumor tissue and circulating tumor DNA (cDNA) from non-selected patients with metastatic gastric cancer treated with pembrolizumab was… More >

Pierre-Guillaume Poureau^1,2,*, Jean-Philippe Metges²

Oncologie, Vol.23, No.1, pp. 47-59, 2021, DOI: 10.32604/Oncologie.2021.15525

Abstract Immunotherapy for digestive cancers is booming and for the first time an immune checkpoint inhibitor has been granted marketing authorization for the treatment of digestive cancer. In order to better understand the mecanism of action of these treatments, their adverse events and the escape mecansim, it is necessary to know the fundamentals of cancer immunology. The innate and adaptive immune system allows the elimination of cancer cells by direct non-specific cytotoxicity (Natural Killer cells), by the development of an adaptive cell-mediated response (dendritic cells becoming antigen presenting cells, allowing the differentiation of lymphocytes naive in CD4 and CD8 T lymphocytes)… More >