5 Another face of the relationship between immunity, inflammation, and liver cancer is inflammation induced by specific genetic alterations (also called “oncogene induced inflammation”). For example, in hepatocellular inflammatory adenoma, activation of STAT3 can be caused by either activating mutations targeting gp130 (the transducer of interleukin 6) or STAT3 itself in 60% and 5% of the

tumors, respectively.6, 7 These CH5424802 ic50 two oncogenes are responsible for JAK/STAT pathway activation. In the liver, STAT3 activation also induces an inflammatory phenotype defined by the induction of inflammation target gene, cytokine production, immune cells attraction by chemokines release, and promotion of neoangiogenesis. Thus, STAT3 is a key player in liver benign tumorogenesis and hepatocyte could be considered a “bona fide” inflammatory cell. But inflammation and immunity have not only a “Mister Hyde” face. In advanced tumors, some chemotherapies like anthracyclines could elicit an immunogenic cancer cell death, triggering an

anticancer immune response through secretion or exposure of an immunogenic signal (calreticulin, heat shock protein, or HMGB1).8 In this study, using the NrasG12V oncogene, Zender and collaborators demonstrated that clearance of cells that underwent OIS is dependent on the adaptive immune response Tanespimycin ic50 (Fig. 1). Oncogene-bearing cells are cleared by the adaptive immune system and T CD4 lymphocytes are one of the most important actors in this mechanism. An antigen-specific NrasG12V Th1 response is triggered with

NrasG12V presentation by antigen-presenting cells. Monocytes and macrophages are the final actors of the immune response; they directly destroy senescent cells. All these phenomena are dependent on cytokine and chemokine (the so-called “senescence associated secreted phenotype”) produced by both hepatocytes and the immune system in a paracrine loop. Disruption of the immune system selleck products or of the cytokine/chemokine network allows oncogenic cells to bypass senescence and form HCC. Thus, immunity acts as a barrier against oncogenic cell proliferation at the very early steps of tumorigenesis. Clearance of senescent cells by the immune system is also dependent on the tumor suppressor gene P19/ARF. It is well known that the accumulation of multiple mutations in oncogene and tumor suppressor genes is required for tumor initiation and progression. For tumor cells, a consequence of the accumulation of genetic alterations is to escape the control of the immune system. It links two major mechanism of cancer: alterations of the genome and immunity/inflammation surveillance. Zender and collaborators asked the question: What is the relevance of this model in human liver carcinogenesis and what lessons should be translated in clinical research? To this end, the authors analyzed patients with immunosuppression who are at higher risk factor for developing HCC.