Elimination
The elimination phase of the cancer immunoediting process is essentially the same as the
immunosurveillance concept that we previously discussed.17-10), some of the tumor cells may develop into genetic variants that
are resistant to immune defenses, similar to the development of antibiotic resistance by bacteria.If the immunologic mechanisms
involved in immunosurveillance, such as destruction of cancerous cells by the host's NK cells
and cytotoxic T cells, are highly effective, they will likely result in complete elimination of the
tumor.The dynamic
interactions between the tumor and the immune system are thought to shape the phenotype of
the tumor and its ultimate outcome, hence the term immunoediting.During the equilibrium phase, mutations can occur in the genetically unstable transformed
cells.