The immune system and malignant neoplasms: fundamental and translational aspects

The immune system is responsible for control of the antigenic continuity, ensuring the friend-orfoe identification and the formation of appropriate responses by the organism, aimed either at destruction (in case of infection with infectious pathogens and transplantation of an alien graft), or protection of the "foe" to be incorporated by the host organism (under physiological pregnancy, or in case of pathology under malignant growth) [1]. The immune system closely interacts with the DNA Damage Response (DDR) system, which, together with other signaling pathways, ensures the repair of damaged genetic material. In the presence of a defect in the repair system, for example, with congenital mutations in the BRCA 1/2 repair genes, genomic instability appears as a basis for the development of cancer. This determines clonal evolution through an accumulation of driver aberrations (CNA, chromosomal rearrangements, mutations), malignancy, and progression of a malignant process, primarily associated with distant metastases [2].