Why the link between immune infiltration and tumor control varies so strongly across tissues remains unresolved. We propose the “immunometabolic gatekeeping” framework, whereby tissue-intrinsic metabolic activity and waste-handling capacity shape anti-tumour immunity.
In high-flux tissues, metabolic stress impairs immune surveillance, decoupling infiltration from control and allowing tumor outgrowth. This framework explains cancer paradoxes—including T cell prognostic heterogeneity, hereditary and pediatric tumor tropisms, sex-biased tumor incidence, and cancer-resistant species—and suggests metabolism-aware strategies for cancer prevention and immunotherapy.
Cancer Cell published a clinical update in Oncology on 26 Mar 2026.
The item focuses on Immunometabolic gatekeeping: How tissue metabolism conditions tumor immunity.
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