Cancer tolerance, resistance, pathogenicity and virulence: deconstructing the disease state.

ABSTRACT

Immunologists have recently taken note of the fact that a host not only resists infection, but also exhibits a capacity to manage the pathology associated with such infection - a concept referred to as tolerance. Here we explore how the tolerance/resistance (T/R) framework can be implemented within an oncological context and explore a number of implications. In particular, the T/R framework distinguishes between pathology manifesting from extensive tumor burden, versus cancers intrinsically expressing a more pathogenic phenotype. Consequently, the T/R framework provides novel methodology in studying the nature of cancer pathology and for marker identification. Additionally, this framework may aid in redefining the therapeutic end point under suitable circumstances establishing cancer as a chronic, manageable disease.