The Immune Response of Cancer Cells in Breast and Gynecologic Neoplasms

Sep 21, 2026

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Cancer diseases represent a major cause of mortality worldwide, yet cancer cells uniquely survive and proliferate within the hostile microenvironment they generate. This adaptability is linked to the ability to reprogram immunological pathways, shift phenotype, and reshape tumor-supportive conditions. The paper reviews key immune pathways implicated in gynecologic neoplasms and summarizes recent research. Expanded mechanistic understanding is positioned to guide development of more specialized, potentially highly effective therapies in the future.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages23

Reading Time58 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Neoplastic diseases and cancer incidence

Warburg effect and metabolic reprogramming

Tumor microenvironment and immune suppression

Metabolites and immune cell differentiation

Review The Immune Response of Cancer Cells in Breast and Gynecologic Neoplasms Katarzyna Rakoczy 1, Justyna Kaczor 1, Adam Sołtyk 1, Natalia Szyma ´nska 1, Jakub Stecko 1, Małgorzata Dra˛g-Zalesi ´nska 2 and Julita Kulbacka 3,4, * Citation: Rakoczy, K.; Kaczor, J.; Sołtyk, A.; Szyma ´nska, N.; Stecko, J.; Dra˛g-Zalesi ´nska, M.; Kulbacka, J. The Immune Response of Cancer Cells in Breast and Gynecologic Neoplasms. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25, 6206. [https://](https://)[ ](https://)[doi.org/10.3390/ijms25116206](doi.org/10.3390/ijms25116206) Academic Editor: Kuo-Hu Chen Received: 16 May 2024 Revised: 29 May 2024 Accepted: 3 June 2024 Published: 5 June 2024 Copyright: © 2024 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license ([https://](https://)[ ](https://)[creativecommons.org/licenses/by/](creativecommons.org/licenses/by/)[ ](creativecommons.org/licenses/by/)[4.0/](4.0/)) . 1 Faculty of Medicine, Wroclaw Medical University, Pasteura 1, 50-367 Wroclaw, Poland; [katarzyna.rakoczy@student.umw.edu.pl](katarzyna.rakoczy@student.umw.edu.pl) (K.R.); [justyna.kaczor@student.umw.edu.pl](justyna.kaczor@student.umw.edu.pl) (J.K.); [adam.soltyk@student.umw.edu.pl](adam.soltyk@student.umw.edu.pl) (A.S.); [natalia.szymanska@student.umw.edu.pl](natalia.szymanska@student.umw.edu.pl) (N.S.); [jakub.stecko@student.umw.edu.pl](jakub.stecko@student.umw.edu.pl) (J.S.) 2 Department of Human Morphology and Embryology, Division of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Wroclaw Medical University, T. Chalubi ´nskiego 6a, 50-368 Wroclaw, Poland; [malgorzata.drag-zalesinska@umw.edu.pl](malgorzata.drag-zalesinska@umw.edu.pl) 3 Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Wroclaw Medical University, Borowska 211a, 50-556 Wroclaw, Poland 4 Department of Immunology and Bioelectrochemistry, State Research Institute Centre for Innovative Medicine Santariškiu˛ g. 5, LT-08406 Vilnius, Lithuania * [Correspondence: julita.kulbacka@umw.edu.pl](Correspondence: julita.kulbacka@umw.edu.pl) Abstract: Cancer diseases constitute a major health problem which leads to the death of millions of people annually. They are unique among other diseases because cancer cells can perfectly adapt to the environment that they create themselves. This environment is usually highly hostile and for normal cells it would be hugely difficult to survive, however neoplastic cells not only can survive but also manage to proliferate. One of the reasons is that they can alter immunological pathways which allow them to be flexible and change their phenotype to the one needed in specific conditions. The aim of this paper is to describe some of these immunological pathways that play significant roles in gynecologic neoplasms as well as review recent research in this field. It is of high importance to possess extensive knowledge about these processes, as greater understanding leads to creating more specialized therapies which may prove highly effective in the future. Keywords: immune response; gynecological cancers; breast cancer; tumor microenvironment 1. Introduction Neoplastic diseases are an obstacle on medicine’s path to extend life expectancy, as they constitute an increasingly leading cause of human deaths. In the single year 2020, an estimated 19.3 million new cases arose worldwide, leading to nearly 10 million cancer deaths [1,2] . Among them, more than 3.6 million cases were breast cancer and gynecological cancers, including ovarian cancer, vulvar cancer, vaginal cancer, cervical cancer, and uterine cancer. They led to over 1.3 million cancer deaths amongst women, whereas the most lethal one was ovarian cancer, in the case of which approximately 66% of cases resulted in death [1] . Cancer cells are extraordinary in every possible biological aspect, which made them stand in the center of neopla

FAQs

What is the main health impact discussed in the paper’s background?

Cancer diseases are described as a major health problem that leads to millions of deaths annually, with breast and gynecologic cancers contributing substantial morbidity and mortality among women.

How do cancer cells create conditions that help them survive?

Cancer cells adapt to their self-generated environment, which is hostile to normal cells, by suppressing anti-tumor immunity and altering immunological and metabolic pathways.

What is the tumor microenvironment (TME) according to the article?

TME is presented as a dynamically changing space formed by interactions among cancer cells, immune cells, extracellular matrix, dissolved molecules such as chemokines, and other non-cancerous components near the tumor.

Sep 21, 2026

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