Under the guidance, support and mentoring of the CLC consulting team and with the help of its network, Anna-Maria Mavrigiannaki Master Immunology King’s, Researcher Francis Crick Institute, and under Dr. Pigi Lymperi’s of the Hellenic Pasteur Institute mentorship, CLC’s Students Konstantinos Athanitis, Danae Kaftani, Alexandra Petridi, Katerina Mamali , carried out research in the way human immune system respond to cancer.
The immune system is the main mechanism of protection against pathogens and foreign cells. In this paper, the basics of the immune system are reviewed, alongside the cells that constitute it, the strategies of defence and the outcomes of a malfunctioning immune response. A weakened immune response can have serious impact οn someone’s health, leading to various disease models, from autoimmunities to cancer. Subsequently, a closer look at the concept of cancer, the uncontrolled growth of malignant cells, was taken. Possible causes and available treatment options were also reviewed. Therefore, a discussion regarding the relation of a weakened immune system with cancer was reported. Attention was drawn particularly on the concept of immunotherapy, a novel type of treatment that is based on the enhancement of the immune response in the fight against cancer. Taken together, this paper highlights the link between the immune system and cancer.
