The anticancer efficacy of conventional chemotherapies seems to be due, in part, to augmentation of the host immune reactivity. However, a new study reveals that two common chemotherapeutic agents, gemcitabine and 5-fluorouracil, can also activate immune regulatory cells, which stimulates the emergence of protumorigenic cytokines via inflammasome pathways, limiting the antitumor efficacy of the drugs (pages 57–64).
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Shurin, M. Dual role of immunomodulation by anticancer chemotherapy. Nat Med 19, 20–22 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/nm.3045
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nm.3045
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