Regulation of tumor growth by IFN-gamma in cancer immunotherapy

Tumor immunity involves a concerted interplay between cytokines and effecto r cells. Extensive efforts have focused on understanding the roles of cytok ines and their interactions with effector cells for the production of effec tive tumor immunity. One cytokine that is well recognized to play a central role in coordinating tumor immune responses is IFN-gamma. IFN-gamma exerts its biological effects through interaction with an IFN-gamma receptor that is ubiquitously expressed on nearly all cells. In this review, we discuss the positive and negative effects of IFN-gamma signaling in the tumor cell on tumor growth.