Does antibody-dependent epitope masking permit progressive tumour growth in the face of cell-mediated cytotoxicity?

Abstract

It is not clear how immunogenic tumours can grow from small inocula in syngeneic hosts that mount both T-cell and B-cell responses. In this article Lionel Manson argues that antibody coats the tumour cells, protecting them from attack by cytotoxic lymphocytes, and thus permits the tumour to continue to grow and overwhelm the host. These observations may explain the paradox that an immunogenic tumour overwhelms the tumour-bearing host in the face of an ongoing anti-tumour immune response.