Immunosenescence and cancer: a review

The human neoplastic pathologies are age-dependent. The increased occurrenc e of tumors observed with advancing age may be determined by the accumulati on of certain phenomena promoting different phases of neoplastic processes. In these events, important roles can be attributed to mutations of the gen ome that accumulate during aging and to the immunosenescence. It may be hyp othesized that certain tumors controlled by the immune system may become mo re frequent in the elderly as a consequence of the decreased functionality of this important defense system of the organism. Nevertheless, the problem s of the interrelationships between the immunosenescence and tumors are ser iously contradictory. Therefore. on the one hand, one has to establish how much the immunodeficit of the elderly patient may be responsible for the ne oplastic pathology, while on the other hand, one cannot neglect important e nvironmental and pathophysiological factors in these cases. (C) 2001 Elsevi er Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.