The Immune System and Skin Cancer
摘要
Skin cancer represents a complex interplay between environmental carcinogens, immune surveillance mechanisms, and tumor-intrinsic adaptations that determine disease progression and therapeutic outcomes of skin cancer. This chapter examines the multifaceted role of immune surveillance in skin cancer prevention, the mechanisms by which solar radiation promotes carcinogenesis and immunosuppression, and the evolving landscape of immunotherapeutic interventions for skin cancer. The skin functions as both a physical barrier and an active immune organ, employing specialized cellular networks, including keratinocytes, Langerhans cells, dendritic cells, natural killer cells, and γδ T cells, to maintain cutaneous homeostasis through pattern recognition receptors and antigen-presentation pathways. However, chronic ultraviolet radiation exposure has dual pathogenic effects, inducing genomic instability through cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers and UV-signature mutations while simultaneously compromising immune vigilance via cytokine dysregulation, Langerhans cell depletion, and tolerance induction mechanisms. Once malignant transformation occurs, tumors use smart ways to get away, such as turning off MHC class I, which helps the body checkpoint molecule upregulation, and tumor microenvironment remodeling through regulatory T cells, myeloid-derived suppressor cells, and cancer-associated fibroblasts, all play crucial roles in suppressing immune responses and promoting tumor growth and create obstacles for immune cells to work properly. Contemporary immunotherapy treatments focusing on the PD-1/PD-L1 and CTLA-4 systems work together adoptive cell therapies and immune modulators have transformed treatment methods significantly revealing outstanding effectiveness against advanced melanoma and skin cancer types carcinoma. Nevertheless, primary and acquired resistance mechanisms necessitate combination strategies, personalized medicine approaches, and cutting-edge technologies, such as spatial transcriptomics, single-cell sequencing, and artificial intelligence-guided biomarker algorithms. Future therapeutic directions emphasize integrated approaches that combine checkpoint inhibitors with targeted therapies, metabolic reprogramming, and novel delivery systems to boost therapeutic efficacy and get past resistance.