About this Book

The field of cancer research has been significantly focused on understanding the complex interplay between tumor mutations, immune evasion, and resistance to targeted therapies. Tumors are known to harbor a multitude of genetic alterations that not only drive their initiation, growth, and progression but also provide them with a selective advantage leading to immune evasion and therapy resistance. The tumor microenvironment further complicates this interaction by influencing the relationship between tumor cells and the immune system, thereby affecting treatment outcomes. Despite the current understanding of these processes, there are still gaps in knowledge, particularly in understanding how specific tumor mutations contribute to immune evasion and therapy resistance.

The primary aim of this research topic is to delve deeper into the intricate relationship between tumor mutations, immune evasion, and targeted therapy resistance. The goal is to understand how oncogenic mutations result in the production of neoantigens that can elicit an immune response and how tumor cells have evolved mechanisms to evade this immune surveillance. This includes the downregulation of antigen presentation machinery, upregulation of immune checkpoint molecules, and recruitment of immunosuppressive cells. Furthermore, the research aims to investigate how these immune evasion mechanisms confer resistance to targeted therapies, which have revolutionized cancer treatment by selectively inhibiting key signaling pathways driving tumor growth.