Figure 4.1 The three phases of immunoediting
. According to the concept of immunoediting, three phases must be distinguished in the
interactions between the immune system and the tumor: (a)
elimination
, which corresponds to the destruction of tumor cells by the immune
system; (b)
equilibrium
, in which the immune system selects and/or promotes the generation of immunologically resistant tumor cell
variants; and (c)
escape
, which corresponds to the expansion of the immunologically shaped tumor that is now beyond the control of the
immune system. (Figure drawn by Wiebke Bretting, after (
Dunn et al. 2002
)).