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Cancer, Inflammasomes, and Adjuvanticity

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The Inflammasomes

Part of the book series: Progress in Inflammation Research ((PIR))

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Abstract

Cancer progression is associated with chronic inflammation and the dampening of antitumor immune responses. Although proinflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-1β (IL-1β) have been proposed to be involved in the initial development of cancer, there is emerging evidence that these proinflammatory molecules can also act as potent adjuvants of T-cell-mediated immune responses. The inflammasomes have been characterized as multimeric complexes leading to the release of the proinflammatory cytokines IL-1β, IL-18, and IL-33 after the detection of danger signals that can be released from stressed or dying cells. Strikingly, the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome was recently shown to be instrumental in the initiation of an immune anticancer response that was required for the success of chemotherapy. In this chapter, I review the current knowledge on the links between the inflammasomes and cancers, with a focus on the role of the NLRP3 inflammasome in anticancer therapies.

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Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Dr François Ghiringhelli for critical reading of this review.

Lionel Apetoh received support from the Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR-10-PDOC-014-01).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. INSERM, U866, Dijon, France

    Lionel Apetoh

  2. INSERM AVENIR Team, Dijon, France

    Lionel Apetoh

  3. Centre Georges François Leclerc, Dijon, France

    Lionel Apetoh

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  1. Lionel Apetoh
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Correspondence to Lionel Apetoh .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institut de Transgénose, Labo. d'Immunologie et, CNRS, rue de la Férollerie 3B, Orléans CX 2, 45071, France

    Isabelle Couillin

  2. CNRS UMR 5201, Labo. Génétique et Cancer, Université de Lyon I, rue Laënnec 28, Lyon, 69008, France

    Virginie Pétrilli

  3. Dept. Immunology & Infectious, Diseases, Harvard School of Public Health, Huntington Ave. 651, Boston, 02115-6017, Massachusetts, USA

    Fabio Martinon

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© 2011 Springer Basel

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Apetoh, L. (2011). Cancer, Inflammasomes, and Adjuvanticity. In: Couillin, I., Pétrilli, V., Martinon, F. (eds) The Inflammasomes. Progress in Inflammation Research. Springer, Basel. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-0348-0148-5_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-0348-0148-5_10

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