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BMC Cancer
Published in: BMC Cancer 1/2017

Open Access 01-12-2017 | Debate

Infections and cancer: the “fifty shades of immunity” hypothesis

Authors: Camille Jacqueline, Aurélie Tasiemski, Gabriele Sorci, Beata Ujvari, Fatima Maachi, Dorothée Missé, François Renaud, Paul Ewald, Frédéric Thomas, Benjamin Roche

Published in: BMC Cancer | Issue 1/2017

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Abstract

Background

Since the beginning of the twentieth century, infection has emerged as a fundamental aspect of cancer causation with a growing number of pathogens recognized as oncogenic. Meanwhile, oncolytic viruses have also attracted considerable interest as possible agents of tumor destruction.

Discussion

Lost in the dichotomy between oncogenic and oncolytic agents, the indirect influence of infectious organisms on carcinogenesis has been largely unexplored. We describe the various ways – from functional aspects to evolutionary considerations such as modernity mismatches – by which infectious organisms could interfere with oncogenic processes through immunity. Finally, we discuss how acknowledging these interactions might impact public health approaches and suggest new guidelines for therapeutic and preventive strategies both at individual and population levels.

Summary

Infectious organisms, that are not oncogenic neither oncolytic, may play a significant role in carcinogenesis, suggesting the need to increase our knowledge about immune interactions between infections and cancer.
Appendix
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Footnotes
1
Infectious organisms: organisms that live obligatorily at the expense of another organism, called the host. The relation is beneficial for the infectious agent but detrimental for the host. This broad definition includes pathogens (virus, bacteria, fungi) and parasites (protozoans, helminthes, ticks among others).
 
2
Oncogenic agents: Infectious organisms recognized to have a direct and significant contribution to carcinogenesis. At the opposite, we refer to non-oncogenic agents when there is no direct evidence for a contribution in tumoral process.
 
3
Mismatches between genotype and environment arise when a phenotype or genotype that were selected in a particular context (e.g. in a high parasitic burden) becomes detrimental in a new environment.
 
4
Antagonistic pleiotropy describes a situation where particular genes (e.g. inflammatory genes) have opposite effects on fitness at different ages, such that their effects are beneficial in early life, when natural selection is strong (following infections for instance), but harmful at later ages, when selection weakens.
 
5
Trade-off: balance between the cost and the benefit of biological mechanisms regarding the fitness of the organism. It underlies that both aspects compete for a common resource.
 
6
Fitness: capacity of an individual to produce viable offspring, in other words contribution of an individual to the future generation. Also described as lifetime reproductive success.
 
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Metadata
Title
Infections and cancer: the “fifty shades of immunity” hypothesis
Authors
Camille Jacqueline
Aurélie Tasiemski
Gabriele Sorci
Beata Ujvari
Fatima Maachi
Dorothée Missé
François Renaud
Paul Ewald
Frédéric Thomas
Benjamin Roche
Publication date
01-12-2017
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Cancer / Issue 1/2017
Electronic ISSN: 1471-2407
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12885-017-3234-4

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