Immunology of brain tumors.

Brain tumors of different origin, but notably malignant gliomas, are characterized by their immunosuppressive properties which allow them to escape the host's immune surveillance. The activating immune cell ligands that are expressed by tumor cells, together with potentially immunogenic antigens, are overridden by numerous immune inhibitory signals, with TGF-3 as the master immunosuppressive molecule (Figure 4.1).The ongoing investigation of mechanisms of tumor-derived immunosuppression allows for an increasing understanding of brain tumor immunology. Targeting different mechanisms of tumor-derived immunosuppression, such as inhibition of TGF-[, may represent a promising strategy for future immunotherapeutic approaches.