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Jeffrey Huang
Jiapeng Huang
Henry Liu
Editors
Anesthesia
for Oncological
Surgery
123
Anesthesia for Oncological Surgery
Jeffrey Huang • Jiapeng Huang • Henry Liu
Editors
Henry Liu
Anesthesiology and Critical Care
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA, USA
© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023
This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or
part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation,
broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and
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developed.
The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not
imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and
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The global burden of new cancer cases reached an alarming 19.3 million in 2020, resulting in
nearly 10 million cancer-related deaths. However, amidst this concerning trend, there is a glim-
mer of progress. The 5-year survival rates for all cancers from 2012 to 2018 have nearly dou-
bled compared to the 1970s, primarily attributed to advancements in early detection and cancer
management.
A pivotal player in this progress is personalized medicine, a groundbreaking approach tai-
loring treatment plans to each patient’s unique genetic makeup, medical conditions, and spe-
cific cancer characteristics.
An often overlooked but crucial aspect of cancer care is anesthesia. Whether during diag-
nostic, therapeutic, or palliative procedures, personalized anesthesia care is vital, considering
factors such as comorbidities, medications, and treatment history. The success of oncological
surgeries hinges on well-managed anesthesia, contributing to improved recovery, fewer com-
plications, and better patient outcomes.
Given the dynamic evolution of cancer treatment approaches, surgical techniques, and med-
ical therapies, dedicated textbooks in this area become imperative. “Anesthesia for Oncological
Surgery,” edited by Professors Jeffrey Huang, Jiapeng Huang, and Henry Liu, emerges as a
standout resource. This concise yet comprehensive guide addresses the unique challenges of
anesthesia in cancer surgery, often overlooked by general anesthesia textbooks.
This textbook transcends the role of a mere manual for perioperative cancer patient care. It
delves into crucial aspects such as disease epidemiology, survival rates, pathology, risk factors,
screening, diagnosis, and latest treatment approaches for various cancer types across all
systems.
Central to the book is its exploration of how diseases and cancer treatments impact anes-
thetic planning. It provides detailed insights into preoperative evaluation, intraoperative man-
agement, and postoperative care, empowering anesthesia providers to make informed decisions
throughout the oncological surgical journey.
“Anesthesia for Oncological Surgery” serves a dual purpose, functioning as both a compre-
hensive textbook and a quick reference guide. Its versatility makes it an indispensable compan-
ion for anesthesia professionals, not just in the operating room but also in their ongoing
practice.
This book caters to anesthesia professionals of all experiences, offering an opportunity to
deepen their knowledge, enhance patient outcomes, and elevate the overall quality of practice
in the realm of oncological surgery.
v
Preface
The steadily increasing prevalence of cancer patients in recent decades has subsequently led to
ever-increasing demands for more oncological surgical interventions, and more and more dedi-
cated oncological surgeons practice not only in major university/tertiary medical centers but
also in community hospitals. With the significant rise in the volume and the ever-expanding
range of oncological procedures, anesthesia care for these oncological procedures can be very
challenging; all these call for a reference book which addresses these challenges faced by
anesthesia providers for these oncological surgeries.
The book should cover all organ systems and all oncological procedures, especially those
newer and unique oncological procedures unfamiliar to anesthesia providers. The need for an
oncological anesthesia-focused reference book and the scarcity of such books led us to the
decision to edit this book entitled Anesthesia for Oncological Surgery. Recognizing that mod-
ern anesthesia care, especially for those newer oncological procedures, demands thorough,
updated medical and anesthetic knowledge to ascertain the quality of care for cancer patients
undergoing surgical interventions, because oncological surgical procedures are usually com-
plex and often involve diverse patient needs, which sometimes go beyond anesthesia practices
per se. Furthermore, cancer management can be very dynamic, medical interventions as che-
motherapy, radiation therapy, and immunotherapy can be integrated and interposed. Thus, it is
crucial for anesthesia providers to have a thorough understanding of dynamic oncological
management and its impact on anesthesia care. Adequate preoperative assessment, physical
and mental preparations, effective and appropriate intraoperative monitoring, timely manage-
ment of all potential adverse events, and satisfactory postoperative analgesia are all issues that
anesthesia providers will have to deal with. This book will focus on all these important issues.
Anesthesia for Oncological Surgery will serve as a comprehensive reference book and also
as a handy practice guide. The book intends to offer insights into anesthesia care specifically
for cancer patients, covering preoperative assessment, intraoperative management, and postop-
erative care. Each chapter provides pertinent oncological information, latest literature updates,
and evidence-based recommendations to enhance anesthesia providers’ understanding of the
unique challenges posed by oncological surgery.
We believe this book Anesthesia for Oncological Surgery will significantly contribute to the
knowledge in anesthesia care for oncological patients, enhance the expertise of anesthesia
providers, and ultimately improve the care delivery and clinical outcomes of perioperative
oncological patients.
vii
Acknowledgments
I would like to express my gratitude to my wife, Frances Wu and my children Evan Huang and
Alexis Huang. Their unwavering support and belief, in me have been the foundation of my
accomplishments. I am also incredibly grateful for the colleagues I have had the privilege of
working with at Moffitt Cancer Center. The collaborative spirit within our hospital has fostered
an environment of innovation, research and exceptional care in the field of anesthesia and sur-
gery. It is my hope that this book will contribute to advancements, in onco-anesthesiology
through collaboration and the collective efforts of all the colleagues who have contributed to
its book.
Jeffrey Huang, MD, FASA
ix
Contents
The Surgeon: Anesthesia Professional Relationship������������������������������������������������������� 47
Alexander S. Rosemurgy, Sharona B. Ross, and Iswanto Sucandy
Anesthetic Technique and Cancer Recurrence ��������������������������������������������������������������� 51
William M. Fowler, Kevin Thai, Thomas M. Kane, and John A. Hodgson
Prehabilitation��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 57
Relin Yang, Troy Rush, and Charles Huang
Preoperative Evaluation and Preparations for Oncological Surgery���������������������������� 65
Julia K. Labovsky
Perioperative Surgical Home, Enhanced Recovery After Surgery,
and High-Risk Committee������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 71
Kathleen J. Lee, Timothy D. Quinn, and Raymond Sroka
Blood Management for Oncological Surgery������������������������������������������������������������������� 79
Juan P. Cata
Acute Pain Service for Oncological Surgery ������������������������������������������������������������������� 87
Stephania Paredes Padilla, Chelsea Skinner, Sydney L. Keller, Surendrasingh
Chhabada, Ryu Komatsu, and Jijun Xu
Chronic Pain Clinic in Cancer Center and Oncological Services ��������������������������������� 101
Jessica Ibañez
Non pharmaceutics Therapy for Oncological Patients��������������������������������������������������� 111
Sahana Rajasekhara, Kristine A. Donovan, and Lora M. A. Thompson
xi
xii Contents
Oral Cavity, Larynx, and Tonsil Cancer Surgery ����������������������������������������������������������� 177
Melanie Townsend, Ramesh Mariyappa, and Emma C. Huang
Parotid Gland Cancer Surgery����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 183
Diana Hamann
Laryngeal Cancer Surgery������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 187
James Miranda, S. Nini Malayaman, Joshua H. Atkins, and Henry Liu
Tracheostomy in Cancer Patients������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 193
Kate Williams and Madeleine Strohl
Thyroid and Parathyroid Cancer Surgery����������������������������������������������������������������������� 199
Lin Tang and Samira M. Sadowski
Neck Dissection and Reconstruction��������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 207
Joshua Read and Brielle Klein
Lobectomy for Lung Cancer��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 215
William E. Rallya, Christopher Russo, and John Hodgson
Surgery for Pleural Malignancies������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 221
Sandra M. Orfgen
Contents xiii
Surgery for Cardiac Malignancies ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 225
Tianyu Jiang and Jeffrey Huang
Surgery for Mediastinal Cancer ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 229
Muhammad F. Sarwar, Jason M. Wallen, and Henry Liu
Surgery for Tracheal Cancer��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 233
Melissa A. Burger
Surgery for Mainstem Bronchial Cancer������������������������������������������������������������������������� 241
Melissa A. Burger
Surgery for Bone Sarcoma������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 381
Raymond Evans, Andrew Serdiuk, Douglas Letson, and Jeffrey Huang
Surgery for Rhabdomyosarcoma��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 387
Jamie Hoffman, Rachel Voss, and Jeffrey Huang
Surgery for Breast Cancer������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 395
Cindy B. Yeoh, Kelly Elleson, Todd Schultz, Brielle Weinstein, Nicholas Panetta,
and Marie Catherine Lee
Cutaneous Cancer Surgery ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 403
Matthew Benesch, Julia Faller, and Joseph Skitzki
Anesthesia for Pediatric Procedures Outside of the Operating Room��������������������������� 411
Ashley Bocanegra and Christopher Setiawan
Wilms Tumor and Hepatoblastoma����������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 417
Alex Y. Chung
Pheochromocytoma������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 423
Neethu Chandran
Medulloblastoma����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 427
John Zhong
Pilocytic Astrocytoma��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 431
John Zhong
Contents xv
Intra-arterial Therapy for Primary and Secondary Liver Cancer ������������������������������� 437
Hakob Kocharyan, Altan Ahmed, and Nainesh Parikh
Percutaneous Ablative Techniques for Liver and Kidney Cancer��������������������������������� 441
Altan F. Ahmed, Hakob Kocharyan, Andrei Lojec, Kenny Le, and Nainesh Parikh
Interventional Diagnostic and Therapeutic Procedures in Surgical Oncology������������� 447
Kara M. Barnett, Victoria Brennan, Suken H. Shah, Elizabeth F. Rieth,
and Marisa A. Kollmeier
Intensive Care of Cancer Patients������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 457
Aditi Balakrishna, Daniel Nahrwold, and Christopher Hughes
Palliative Care Surgery of Cancer Patients ��������������������������������������������������������������������� 471
Zhaosheng Jin, Vincent Bargnes, Alexandra Tsivitis, Jonathan B. Oster, and Jun Lin
Hospice Care and Palliative Care in Cancer Patients����������������������������������������������������� 477
Hui Liu, Lin Chen, Lauren Hollifield, James E. Miranda, Brian Entler,
Nini Malayaman, and Henry Liu
Index������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 483
Part I
Basic Science of Oncology
Huang Jeffrey
Oncogenesis, What Is New?
Nothing has revolutionized the field of cancer treatment in growth factor receptor), HER2, among many others), tumor
recent years more than the establishment of personalized suppressor genes, those that inhibit cell growth and their
medicine. Personalized cancer treatment uses therapies/ loss of function allows uncontrolled cell growth (p53 the
treatments targeted to the patient’s tumor profile, intending most commonly mutated gene in cancers and RB, etc.),
to provide a more precise and targeted therapy than conven- apoptotic genes, those regulate apoptosis promoting cancer
tional chemotherapy, particularly in advanced/metastatic cells survival (the BCL2 family of genes), and lastly genes
cancers. Pathologic assessment is an essential component of that affect the interactions between cancer cells and host
personalized cancer treatment by providing accurate cancer cells (checkpoint inhibitors genes would be in this category).
diagnoses and proper testing of tumors for those specific All the gene alterations act together to allow the cancer cells
molecular and immunohistochemical biomarkers used to to proliferate without the need for growth signals and avoid
guide targeted treatment strategies. To design targeted thera- inhibitory/apoptotic signals, to have altered cell metabolism
pies, one needs to understand the pathophysiology behind that supports continued cell growth, to guarantee blood sup-
oncogenesis. While a detailed review of oncogenesis ply, to evade the host immune system and to allow for inva-
deserves its book, in this book chapter, I focus on the impor- sion and metastasis, essentially becoming immortal [1].
tant issues of oncogenesis and personalized cancer treat- Some significant genetic changes/mutations in cancer
ment, using lung cancer as an example as I am a thoracic include point mutations, a change in a single nucleotide in
pathologist with minor references to the generalities of a gene sequence, for example, in the KRAS gene in lung
oncogenesis. adenocarcinomas. Gene rearrangements change the struc-
ture of a chromosome(s) by inversion or translocation, as it
occurs in ALK translocated lung adenocarcinomas. Gene
1 Oncogenesis and Personalized Cancer deletions, in which a portion of the chromosome is lost,
Treatment often affect tumor suppressor genes. Gene amplifications,
meaning producing multiple copies of the same gene with
Oncogenesis is a very complex and multifactorial process overexpression and activation, can be seen with HER2
related to not only the more well-known oncogenes and amplification in breast cancer. Aneuploidy is when a cancer
tumor suppressor genes but also the effect that the environ- cell has more than the standard number of chromosomes
ment has on them and the overall physiology of the normal and thus copies numbers of oncogenes. microRNAs are
cells and heritable conditions (not discussed in this chapter). small single-stranded RNA fragments that can bind to mes-
Genes are the center of oncogenesis, and simply said, the senger RNA after transcription and facilitate its degrada-
origin of cancer is related to genetic and epigenetic changes tion. This process specifically targets tumor suppressor
and mutations that alter the function of genes. There are genes, leading to downregulation of the corresponding pro-
oncogenes, those that promote cancer cells growth (RAS is teins and potentially enabling uncontrolled cell prolifera-
the most commonly mutated oncogene, EGFR (Epidermal tion, as observed in lung cancer cases [2].
Notably, a single mutation/genetic change cannot cause
the transformation of normal cells to cancer cells. Instead, in
H. T. Bittar (*) almost all cancers, multiple mutations accumulate (double/
Department of Pathology, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL, USA
multiple hit hypothesis) in a single cell to transform it. It is
Department of Oncologic Sciences, University of South Florida, also essential to recognize that while theoretically tumors are
Tampa, FL, USA
made of proliferation from a single mutated cell
e-mail: [email protected]
( monoclonality), in reality, tumors are heterogenous in their genes). There is currently no role for biomarkers testing in
cell composition. This is because, within the life of a tumor, small cell carcinoma.
new mutations can occur (because of the genetic instability
present in tumors), leading to new subclones of tumor cells,
which are often selected to proliferate better and become 2 The Increasing Role
resistant to treatments. This is the origin of tumor progres- of Immunotherapy
sion and the development of treatment resistance.
Changes in the integrity of the end of chromosomes, so- Immunotherapy in cancer treatment refers to using medica-
called telomeres that protect chromosomes from degrada- tions to improve the person’s immune system’s capacity to
tion, are a standard component of aging and have also been attack neoplastic cells.
implicated in the development of many conditions, including Immune checkpoint is a normal physiologic phenomenon
cancers. The length of telomeres is maintained by the tran- aimed to prevent the building of immune responses against
scription enzyme complex telomerase (some of its vital com- healthy/non-neoplastic cells. Generally speaking, it prevents
ponents are TERT (telomerase reverse transcriptase) and T-cells from activating and promoting cell death. In the cen-
TERC (telomerase RNA component)). Shortening of telo- ter of these complicated pathways are the proteins program
meres is a normal phenomenon that occurs with each cell death-1 (PD-1) and the program death-1 ligand (PD-L1).
cycle (prevented by the telomerase) or an abnormal one due PD-L1 is a transmembrane protein that downregulates
to excess reactive oxygen species (or lack of antioxidants). immune responses by binding to its two inhibitory PD-1 and
When telomeres shorten beyond a critical point, the cell B7–1 (CD80). PD-1 is an inhibitory receptor expressed on
becomes senescent and undergoes apoptosis/cell death with T-cells following their activation, which is sustained in states
the associated loss of tissue function (as it occurs in normal of chronic stimulation such as in chronic infection or cancer.
aging). To become immortal, an important step in tumori- The binding of PD-L1 with PD-1 inhibits T-cell prolifera-
genesis, cancer cells must irreversibly prevent the shortening tion, cytokine production, and cytolytic activity, leading to
of telomeres, most often by constitutively activating telomer- the functional inactivation or exhaustion of T cells. PD-L1
ase (frequently by amplification and mutations in the pro- expression has been observed in immune cells and tumor
moter regions of the TERT and TERC genes), thus avoiding cells. Aberrant expression of PD-L1 on tumor cells has been
the DNA damage cell death pathways [3]. reported to impede anti-tumor immunity, resulting in immune
The recent advances in lung cancer treatment are a perfect evasion. Therefore, interruption of the PD-L1/PD-1 pathway
example of successful personalized cancer treatment, par- represents a novel strategy to reactivate the tumor-specific
ticularly in lung adenocarcinomas, for which potentially tar- T-cell mediated immunity suppressed by the expression of
getable oncogenic mutations are present in over 75% of PD-L1 in the tumor microenvironment.
cases. In the United States, KRAS is the most frequently PD-L1/PD-1 inhibitors (collectively called immune
mutated oncogene in lung adenocarcinoma, followed by checkpoint inhibitors) are nowadays the cornerstone of the
EGFR [4, 5]. EGFR (upstream tyrosine kinase receptor) and treatment of many cancer types. PD-L1 is expressed in a
KRAS (downstream signaling molecule) are part of the broad range of cancer cells, including lung, melanoma, uro-
MAP-kinase pathway that regulates cell growth, prolifera- thelial, kidney, ovarian, breast, and colorectal cancer [8]. For
tion, and survival. Not surprisingly, most of the targeted many of the FDA-approved indications, immune checkpoint
therapies available for lung adenocarcinomas affect this inhibitors have proven to be a superior therapy with or with-
pathway. There are multiple guidelines [6] aligning with the out concurrent chemoradiation (depending on the cancer
current state of drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug stage and history of prior therapies) compared to chemora-
Administration (FDA), helping clinicians in their choice of diation alone [9].
biomarkers testing (see below) and targeted treatment strate- It is impossible to discuss immunotherapy without incor-
gies. Some recommendations include molecular testing of porating T-cell transfer therapies. The main principle is
nonsquamous lung non-small cell carcinomas for KRAS, removing the patient’s T-cells and, in the laboratory, select-
EGFR, HER2, and BRAF mutations; ALK, ROS1, RET, ing and conditioning them to better attack the patient’s can-
NTRK translocations, MET exon 14 alterations, and of cer cells [10]. There are two main types of T-cells transfer
course, PD-L1 status. In squamous cell carcinomas, the most therapies.
common genetic changes include those in p53, PI3KCA,
SOX2, and FGFR1. There is currently no FDA-approved tar- • Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) therapy uses the
geted therapy (or need for biomarkers testing) in these lymphocytes that are enriched on the patient’s tumor
tumors [7] unless the patient is young and has never been a (requires resection of the tumor to obtain the TILs) but
smoker. Lastly, for small cell carcinomas, the most common that is not sufficient or activated enough to destroy the
(essentially all cases) genetic alterations involve downregu- tumor, and in the laboratory, select and expand those
lating of p53 and Rb proteins (by the genetic loss of their T-lymphocytes that best recognize the tumor cells (refer
Oncogenesis, What Is New? 5
to as TIL products). The TIL product is then infused back immunostain is finally evaluated under the microscope for
into the patient with the improved capacity to attack the the presence or absence and the semiquantitative estimation
tumor cells. TIL therapy has been used to treat melanoma of the targeted protein.
[11] and is currently being studied and used experimen- Important examples of the use of immunohistochemistry
tally to treat other solid tumors like cervical squamous include the assessment of PD-L1 expression in many cancer
cell carcinoma, cholangiocarcinoma, and lung carcino- types. For instance, hormone receptors status in breast can-
mas [12]. cer, mismatch repair enzymes expression status in colon and
• The other technique is CAR-T cell therapy, which uses endometrial cancer, and ALK expression in ALK translo-
the patient’s T-lymphocytes after being genetically modi- cated lung adenocarcinomas, among many others. It is
fied in the lab to express a chimeric antigen receptor important to know that there are certain preanalytical require-
(CAR) that is a modified receptor specifically designed to ments that must be met for the immunostains to be properly
attach to the patient’s tumor cells. CAR-T cell therapy is interpreted. Many of these requirements are regulated by the
FDA-approved to treat many advanced forms of leuke- Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and many pathology
mias and lymphomas [13]. While very promising, CAR-T and oncology professional organizations. Some examples of
cell therapy is not free of secondary effects and is notori- these requirements include:
ously very costly.
• For PD-L1 expression in lung non-small cell carcinoma,
at least 100 viable tumor cells must be present on the
slide, and tissue should not be over 3 years old. This can
3 The Importance of Tissue Adequacy be easily obtained by small biopsies and cytology speci-
in Biomarker/Ancillary Studies mens [6, 14–16]. Following testing guidelines is
Testing extremely important to avoid misclassifying patients
who could have potentially benefited from
Biomarkers/prognostics testing in the personalized treatment immunotherapies.
of cancer can be done by multiple techniques (see Table 1) • For hormone receptors (estrogen, progesterone, and
with different degrees of complexity. The easiest and quick- HER2) expression status in breast cancer, we have
est way of testing is by immunohistochemistry. In this tech- some of the strictest guidelines (by the College of
nique, biopsy tissue or cells collected by cytology techniques, American Pathologists (CAP) and the American
like fine needle aspiration, are exposed to antibodies that rec- Association of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)) and stan-
ognize the targeted protein (so-called primary antibody). The dard operating procedures, and their mandatory appli-
expression of the target protein is then demonstrated by cation is tightly regulated. Some of the
using a secondary antibody against the immunoglobulin recommendations include short ischemic time (the
used as the primary antibody. A distinct color (usually time between removal of the tissue/stopping of the
brown) is produced because the secondary antibody is bound blood supply and the beginning of 10% formalin fixa-
to a reagent that produces color after a specific chemical tion), the fixation time should be at least 6 h, and no
reaction (so-called detection agent). The final product is a more than 72 h, and slides should not be older than
section of tumor stained (because of the presence of color) 6 weeks, mandatory participation in external profi-
with the targeted protein, which we call immunostain. The ciency testing, among many others [17].
The use of immunohistochemistry for the assessment of dye to the complementary and highly specific DNA sequence
prognostic biomarkers has many benefits, including shorter of the target gene. Using fluorescent microscopy, the loca-
turn-around time with results being available as early as tion of the probes on chromosomes can be visualized in the
within 24 h, their more cost-effective and less of a financial individual cancer cell using formalin fixed tissue sections.
burden for patients and the health system (compared to the By consensus, at least 50 well-visualized tumor calls must be
more expensive sequencing studies), and their easier to per- present on the slide [6, 22] to be an adequate sample.
form, more widely available and, in many cases, more Immunohistochemistry, a more cost-effective, faster, and
straightforward to interpret [18]. less technically demanding technique, is gradually replacing
the use of FISH in evaluating ALK rearrangement in lung
carcinomas. Confirmation by FISH studies is still necessary
3.1 Sequencing in unequivocal cases [23].
(e.g., anti PD-L1) by inducing immune dysregulation and small cell lung cancer and their prognostic significance according
to clinicopathological factors and diagnostic markers. Int J Mol Sci.
tolerance and directly increasing the risk of malignancy due
2019;20(4):824.
to chronic inflammation [38]. 9. Onoi K, Chihara Y, Uchino J, Shimamoto T, Morimoto Y, Iwasaku
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Epidemiology of Cancer
1 Introduction a 28% increase, three-fold higher than the trend of total mor-
tality during the same period (9%) [2, 3]. Cancer mortality
Over 19 million new cancer cases [1–4] lead to almost ten rates are varied in different parts of the world due to genetic
million deaths globally in 2020 [1, 2]. The most common and environmental factors, such as quality of patient care,
cancers worldwide are breast and lung cancers, while pros- availability of medical facilities, and socioeconomic status.
tate cancer is the most common in the male population These factors affect the application of screening, prevention
(Table 1) [2]. The responsible risk factors for cancer inci- strategies, and appropriate treatments for cancers. Recent
dence vary by cancer type, geographical region, and popula- advances in medical technologies can provide better screen-
tion [5]. In addition, recent environmental changes by climate ing tools and, more importantly, better patient care and treat-
changes, industrialization, and lifestyle, such as diet patterns, ments. These advances improved the prognosis and survival
are suggested as potential contributing factors for increasing of most cancers. However, patient care and public health sys-
cancer incidence [6]. Increased incidences in different tems are considerably different among countries, and these
regions or populations (such as race or gender) have been differences exist within countries [2]. These systems, socio-
reported for specific cancer types. The incidence rates in men economic, genetic, and environmental factors can be
are higher than those in women in all cancers except thyroid explained different survival rates. Among environmental fac-
cancer. For example, the bladder (2.87), liver (2.35), and tors, diet patterns and physical activity are often associated
esophageal (2.36) cancers showed the highest men/women with a risk for several cancers [7]. Typically, a healthy diet
ratios [2, 3]. and being physically active can lower the risk and improve
In terms of cancer mortality, cancer is the second leading a survival for women with breast cancer. Several factors,
cause of death, accounting for 9.9 million deaths worldwide such as the type of cancer, clinical stage at diagnosis, and
[2]. The trend of cancer mortality in the last decade showed medical care, are the main factors for cancer survival. In
most cases, early diagnosis is a main key for better outcomes
Table 1 Number of new cancer cases in worldwide and survival. The incidence rank of cancer type does not nec-
Cancer sites Cases Percentage essarily overlap with the mortality rank due to different can-
Breast 2,261,419 12.5% cer survival rates. The numbers of deaths from lung, liver,
Lung 2,206,771 12.2% pancreas, and stomach cancers are much higher than others.
Colorectal 1,931,590 10.7% In men, lung, liver, stomach, esophageal, and prostate can-
Prostate 1,414,259 7.8%
cers are the deadliest. In women, breast, lung, and stomach
Stomach 1,089,103 6.0%
cancers are the lethal ones. Colorectal cancer is the second
Liver 905,677 5.0%
leading cause of cancer mortality in both populations [8].
Data from GLOBOCAN 2020 [2–4]
H.-Y. Lin
Biostatistics Program, School of Public Health, Louisiana State
University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA, USA
e-mail: [email protected]
J. Y. Park (*)
Department of Cancer Epidemiology, Moffitt Cancer Center,
Tampa, FL, USA
e-mail: [email protected]
2 Cancer Incidence and Trend with MRI for prostate cancer provides better sensitivity for
detection, reduces the over-diagnosis, and over-treatment
The World Health Organization (WHO) data from WHO [16]. However, the main obstacles, such as const-
shows cancers cause the largest economic burden worldwide effectiveness, to apply MRI as a prostate cancer screening
among all human diseases [2, 3]. The most considerable tool need to be cleared.
cancer-related burden is in the population aged 60 years or Lung cancer is the second most common cancer and the
older. According to the WHO Global Cancer Observatory leading cause of cancer mortality in 2020 [4]. The incidence
data, breast (2.3 million cases), lung (2.21 million cases), rate has decreased since the mid-1980s as the prevalence of
colorectal (1.93 million patients), and prostate (1.41 million smoking declined [17]. However, the incidence of lung can-
patients) cancers are the most common cancers [2, 3]. The cer among women is still rising in many countries. In these
most common cancers in men are lung, prostate, stomach, countries, smoking prevalence in women has either peaked
and liver, while breast, lung, cervical, and colon cancers are recently or continues to rise. Therefore, lung cancer inci-
most frequent among women. In terms of incidence rates, dence in women will most likely increase for at least a few
breast cancer has the highest incidence rate (46.3 per 100,000), decades more [18].
then prostate (29.3 per 100,000), lung (22.5 per 100,000), and Breast cancer incidence has increased since the 1980s due
colorectal (19.2 per 100,000) cancers are followed [4]. to the early detection of asymptomatic cases by mammogra-
Based on the American Cancer Society (ACS) report [8], phy screening. In addition, body mass index (BMI) changes,
the trend of cancer incidence was mainly influenced by envi- rising age for the first births, and declining fertility rate also
ronmental factors and patient care, especially cancer screen- contribute to the increasing trend of breast cancer incidence
ing. The discussion of incidence trends for these common [19].
cancer types is listed below. As for colorectal cancer, its incidence rates are rising in
Prostate cancer cases surged in the 1990s due to the intro- low-income countries, while incidences have declined in
duction of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening tests. developed countries since the mid-1990. The introduction of
Most cases identified through this screening test are asymp- screening tests, such as a colonoscopy and fecal occult blood
tomatic and early-stage prostate cancer cases. Therefore, ris- test, in old age groups drives decreased an incidence rate of
ing prostate cancer incidence may lead to the over-diagnosis colorectal cancer. However, incidence rates in the younger
and over-treatment due to these new PSA screening tests. generation are rising, most likely due to environmental fac-
Because of these concerns, there were uncertainty and dis- tors, such as lifestyle, rapid dietary transition, and obesity
agreement on the value of the PSA test [9]. The United States [20].
Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommended In addition to these four most common cancer types, cer-
new guidelines on PSA tests in 2008 and 2012 [10, 11]. They vical cancer incidence rates have decreased since the 1970s
advised against PSA screening among men older than due to PAP smear screening, which evaluates for cancerous
75 years in 2008. In 2012, the USPSTF recommended or precancerous cells on the cervix. The trend of cervical
against PSA screening for all men, regardless of age [11]. As cancer incidence rates varies by race and age group. Hispanic
a result, prostate cancer incidence was increased from 2013 women in the United States showed the highest incidence of
until now. In 2018, the USPSTF recommended that men cervical cancer compared with other racial groups. Especially
aged 55–69 should discuss the possible benefits and harms of the incidence rates are increased in young Hispanic women
PSA screening with their healthcare provider and make an [21, 22]. Low cervical cancer screening rates and high human
individualized decision about whether to get screened [12, papillomavirus (HPV) infection among Hispanic women can
13]. partially explain rising cervical cancer incidence rates [22].
For the impact of the PSA test on prostate cancer mortal- Perhaps, the most significant impact on reducing cervical
ity, Fenton et al. (2018) reported that PSA screening might cancer incidence is the introduction of vaccines against car-
provide benefits in reducing prostate cancer-specific mortal- cinogenic HPVs, type 16 and 18. These vaccines were
ity. However, this PSA test is notoriously linked to high approved in 2006 by the US Food and Drug Administration
false-positive results, often leading to an unnecessary biopsy [23]. Therefore, incidence rates of cervical cancer in the gen-
and overtreatment. In addition, long-term survival benefits eration who received the HPV vaccine were declined signifi-
among screen-detected prostate cancer were unclear [13]. cantly [24].
Recent studies evaluated magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
as a new screening tool for prostate cancer [14]. MRI of the
prostate has become an important part of the initial radio- 3 Lifetime Risk for Cancers
graphic evaluation for the diagnosis of prostate cancer.
Recent European Association of Urology (EAU) guidelines The lifetime probability of developing cancer is 41% in men
recommend performing MRI before prostate biopsy in men and 40% in women [21]. The lifetime risk varies significantly
with high risk for prostate cancer [15]. A risk assessment by different cancer types. According to the ACS data, the high-
Epidemiology of Cancer 13
Table 2 Lifetime risk for cancers by gender in the United States Table 3 Five-year relative cancer survival rates of the top 10 common
Cancer sites Gender Percentage cancersa
All sites Male 41% Cancer sites Percentage
Female 40% All sites 68%
Breast Female 13% Prostate 97%
Prostate Male 13% Breast 91%
Lung Male 6.2% Bladder 77%
Female 5.8% Non-Hodgkin lymphoma 74%
Colorectal Male 4.3% Cervix 67%
Female 3.9% Leukemia 66%
a
Modified from ACS data [8] Colorectal 65%
Ovary 50%
Lung 23%
Pancreas 12%
est risks for cancer were found for prostate (13%), lung (6.2%), a
Modified from ACS data 2012–2018 [8]
and colorectal cancer (4.3%) in men, and breast (13%), lung
(5.8%), and colorectal (3.9%) in women (Table 2) [3, 8].
The lifetime risk for overall cancer mortality is 10.6%. leukemia has provided many new innovative treatments,
The highest risks of cancer mortality are from lung (3.19%), such as monoclonal antibodies and immune CAR-T cells.
liver (1.46%), and stomach (1.36%) in men and breast These new treatments significantly improved the prognosis
(1.41%), lung (1.32%), and cervix (0.77%) in women [8]. of chronic myeloid leukemia [27]. For melanoma metastasis,
Generally, the mortality rate of each cancer in men is higher several new immune therapies, and BRAF and MEK inhibi-
than in women, except for thyroid cancer. Especially mortal- tors were introduced [29]. Immune checkpoint inhibitors
ity rate ratios of the bladder (2.87), esophagus (2.36), and induce cancer-cell killing by activated CD8-positive T cells.
liver (2.35) cancers between men and women are among the Immune checkpoint inhibitors, such as anti-CTLA4 and anti-
highest cancers [8]. PD-1, changed the methods of patient care in several cancer
types, including melanoma and kidney cancer. Due to these
new therapies, the survival rate of melanoma dramatically
4 Survival Rates for Cancers increased [29]. These immunotherapies also demonstrated
their potential benefits for lung cancer. Due to these treat-
Based on the ACS report for the US population in 2012– ments, 3-year survival for all lung cancer cases increased
2018 [8], the 5-year survival rates of the top 10 common from 22 to 33% over time, corresponding to the timing of
types of cancers are listed in Table 3. The 5-year relative sur- approval of targeted therapy [30]. On the other hand, uterine
vival rate for all cancers was 68% in 2012–2018, while the cancer has not improved its survival rate long time, possibly
5-year survival rate was 49% in the 1970s. Prostate cancer due to the lack of new treatments [31].
showed the best overall prognosis with a 5-year survival rate Survival rates for cancers are also different in different
of 97%. However, lung and pancreas cancers have the worst racial groups. Survival rates in non-Hispanic black group are
5-year survival rates, 23%, and 12%, respectively [8]. usually lower than in non-Hispanic white group for most
Globally, the 5-year survival rates are 70–100% for prostate cancers. Even after adjusting for clinical stage, gender, and
cancer, 80–85% for breast cancer, 50–70% for colorectal age at diagnosis, the survival rates are 33% lower in non-
cancer, and 10–20% for lung cancer [3]. Hispanic blacks as compared with non-Hispanic whites [32].
Improvement of cancer patients’ survival is affected by For example, survival rates for uterine cancer are different in
multiple factors, including early detection and better treat- different racial groups. African American women are more
ments [25]. For example, the 5-year survival rate for chronic likely to be diagnosed with higher clinical stages and
myeloid leukemia has significantly increased from 17% in this higher clinical stage in diagnosis often leads to lower
1975 to 73% in 2012 [26, 27], although the incidence of survival rates [33]. Therefore, African American women
chronic myeloid leukemia has been growing in the last few have the highest mortality rate in all races for uterine corpus
decades. The potential explanation for the increasing inci- cancer [33]. The recent reclassification of subtypes based on
dence rate can be the reclassification of other leukemia sub- molecular biomarkers from next-generation sequencing was
types, raising awareness, improved diagnostic sensitivity, introduced for targeted therapies. Recent whole-exome
better-reporting systems for new cases, and other risk fac- sequencing studies have identified a role of the HER2/NEU
tors, such as obesity [27]. Further, the 5-year survival rate and driver mutations in the PIK3CA/AKT/mTOR oncogenic
increase of chronic myeloid leukemia was also due to new pathways [34]. These results emphasize the relevance of
innovative treatments, such as stem cell transplantation these novel therapeutic targets for targeted therapy. These
through national health policies and cancer control programs therapies provided a large impact because almost one-half of
[28]. The progress in pre-clinical and clinical research on uterine cancers are candidates for targeted therapies [35].
14 H.-Y. Lin and J. Y. Park
Table 4 Number of deaths by top 5 deadliest cancers based cancer risk stratification [38–40]. Although accuracy
Cancer sites Incidence Percentage of these PRS are different in different cancers, a high poly-
Lung 1,796,144 18.2% genic risk score is correlated with a higher risk of cancer. In
Colorectal 935,173 9.5% prostate cancer, the detection rate of polygenic risk score
Liver 830,180 8.4 ranged from 0.56 to 0.67 [40]. Recent large studies observed
Stomach 768,793 7.8
that the top 10% polygenic risk score group increased risk
Breast 684,996 6.9%
2.7-fold [41, 42].
Data from GLOBOCAN 2020 [2–4]
Smoking is the most well-established risk factor for many
cancers, including lung, laryngeal, oral, esophageal, pan-
5 Cancer Mortality and Trend creas, bladder, kidney, liver, stomach, pancreas, colorectal,
and cervical cancers. Especially cigarette smoking is respon-
Currently, heart disease is the leading cause of death in the sible for approximately 80–90% of lung cancer mortality
world, based on WHO data [4]. The second leading cause of [43]. Heavy smokers showed a 20 times higher risk for lung
death is cancer. In Table 4, a list of cancer deaths was pre- cancer-specific death than never-smokers. Alcohol drinking
sented based on GLOBOCAN 2020 [2, 4]. As expected, the also increases the risk for several cancers, such as oral, laryn-
rank in cancer mortality does not necessarily match with one geal, colorectal, esophageal, liver, and breast cancers. Almost
in cancer incidence because the survival rates are different in 4% of new cancers diagnosed in 2020 worldwide can be
different cancer types. Overall, lung, colorectal, liver, stom- explained by alcohol drinking based on WHO data [4]. Diets,
ach, and breast cancers are the deadliest cancers (Table 4). especially high-fat diets, are associated with an increased
Cancer mortality rates have increased consistently from the risk of colorectal, lung, and prostate cancers. The previous
1930s until the 2000s. One of the main attributable factors is pre-clinical study reported that certain compounds induced
a rapid increase in lung cancer mortality due to the smoking cancers [44]. However, these findings are not consistent with
epidemic. However, smoking reduction has significantly results from human studies. Recent epidemiological studies
declined cancer deaths since 1991 [8]. In addition, lung suggested that high-fat diets have been linked with an
screening with low-dose computed tomography (CT) for increased risk of these cancers [45].
high-risk populations, such as heavy smokers, leads to detect Infections are another risk factor for several cancers.
early-stage lung cancers successfully and lower cancer mor- Approximately 15–20% of cancer incidences in the world
tality [36]. are related to infections, especially carcinogenic viruses
[46], such as Human Papillomavirus, Hepatitis B virus,
Hepatitis C virus, Helicobacter pylori, Human
6 Risk Factors for Cancers Immunodeficiency virus, and Epstein-Barr virus. Human
papillomavirus infection, especially types 16 and 18,
The development of cancers is the result of the combination increases the risk of cervical cancer [47], while Hepatitis B
of genetic and environmental factors. The leading risk factor and C viruses increase the risk of liver cancer [48, 49].
is age, probably due to the accumulation of various risks Helicobacter pylori infection is associated with a high risk of
with age. In addition, DNA repair processes are less efficient stomach cancer [50]. Human immunodeficiency virus
in the elderly. There are other well-established risk factors increases the risk of developing some cancers such as Kaposi
for cancers, such as genetics, smoking, alcohol drinking, sarcoma [51]. Epstein-Barr virus is linked to Hodgkin lym-
high-fat diet, and infections, particularly carcinogenic infec- phoma, Burkitt lymphoma, and nasopharyngeal cancers
tions. Genetic factors contribute to almost one-third of all [46].
cancer cases [37]. However, an individual genetic variant
was not demonstrated as a major factor for cancer risk.
However, the polygenic risk scores provided more reliable 7 Summary
predictions. The polygenic risk scores are usually built based
on the sum of multiple germline genetic variants identified Based on the current trend of cancer epidemiological data,
from genome-wide association studies and can be used to these malignant diseases will be a significant public health
classify people’s risk of diseases based on their genetic pro- issue. This disease will impact clinical and social standards
files. These scores may help to predict lifetime risk, plan for and impose an enormous economic burden. However, recent
better screening, predict prognosis and, more importantly, advances in medical technology provide promising tools for
support personalized medicine [38–40]. Although the pre- better cancer care, screening, and early detection. For exam-
diction of individual cancer risk based on only polygenic risk ple, liquid biopsy, a blood test that detects cancer cells or
scores is not ready for the clinical use, an increasing number tumor DNA that are circulating in the blood, can be used for
of studies support using polygenic risk scores for population- more efficient screening, early detection, and monitoring
Epidemiology of Cancer 15
treatment responses. Second, MRI can be used for diagnosis 12. Fenton JJ, Weyrich MS, Durbin S, Liu Y, Bang H, Melnikow
J. Prostate-specific antigen-based screening for prostate cancer:
and monitoring progression. Third, genetic profile contrib-
evidence report and systematic review for the US preventive ser-
utes to a risk classification for utilization in personalized vices task force. JAMA. 2018;319(18):1914–31.
medicine. Fourth, a new generation of treatments, especially 13. U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, Grossman DC, Curry SJ,
immunotherapy, opened a promising path for cancer treat- Owens DK, Bibbins-Domingo K, Caughey AB, et al. Screening for
prostate cancer: US preventive services task force recommendation
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statement. JAMA. 2018;319(18):1901–13.
Finally, statistical learning and artificial intelligence 14. Nordstrom T, Discacciati A, Bergman M, Clements M, Aly M,
improved accuracy and efficiency in pathology and imaging Annerstedt M, et al. Prostate cancer screening using a combination
analysis for tumor tissues. of risk-prediction, MRI, and targeted prostate biopsies (STHLM3-
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Immunemodulation and Cancer
3 Antigen Presenting Cells and Cancer tumors through various mechanisms and can impede the effi-
cacy of immunotherapy, chemotherapy, and irradiation. In
3.1 Basic Biology of Dendritic Cells contrast, DCs thus have a unique feature and potential to pro-
cess and transfer tumor antigens to the draining lymph nodes
Dendritic cells (DCs) are vital in activating naïve CD4+ T leading to the activation of T-cell, a crucial step that is abso-
cells and are classified as professional antigen-presenting lutely required for T cell-dependent tumor immunity and
cells (APCs), alongside macrophages, granulocytes, and B response to immunotherapy. Tumor-resident DCs have an
cells. DCs are the essential APCs of the immune system, increasingly important function in regulating the T cell
playing a crucial role in connecting innate and adaptive response within tumors during therapy [5, 6, 9–11]. These
immunity, particularly in stimulating anti-tumor T cells [5– functions establish DCs as a critical component of the antitu-
7]. DCs arise from bone marrow progenitors known as com- mor T cell response and indicate that modulating the biologi-
mon myeloid progenitors (CMPs). CMPs have the ability to cal activity of these cells is a valuable therapeutic strategy
differentiate into monocytes or the common dendritic cell for indirectly promoting a T cell response during therapy.
progenitor, which gives rise to various subpopulations of Among DC suptype, studies in both mice and humans
dendritic cells (DCs), including plasmacytoid DCs (pDCs), have demonstrated that the cDC subset of DCs is primarily
conventional DCs (cDCs), and monocytic-derived DCs. responsible for eliciting an effective immune response
These immature DCs require maturation signals, such as against cancer. The regulation and function of cDCs are gov-
damage or pathogen-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) erned by CCR7, a leukocyte chemotactic receptor that directs
and inflammatory cytokines, to effectively fulfill their role in the migration of DCs to the lymph node and facilitates the
the immune response. Upon maturation and activation, DCs generation of a systemic CTL-mediated anti-tumor immune
reduce their phagocytic activity, increase expression of MHC response. In mouse tumor models, cDCs that lack CCR7
class II and costimulatory molecules, produce more cyto- expression are unable to attract CD8+ T cells to the tumor
kines, and demonstrate enhanced migration to lymph nodes site and also fail to stimulate T cells within the tumor to dif-
through increased expression of chemokine receptors [5, 8]. ferentiate into effector CTLs capable of eliminating the
DCs exist as resident lymphoid tissue, such as spleen and tumor. Defective expression of CCR7 in cDCs in multiple
lymph nodes were critical for sampling blood and lymph mouse tumor models leads to an inability to attract CD8+ T
born antigens, respectively. This event is relatively important cells to the tumor site, as well as a failure to stimulate T cells
because distributing and presenting antigens is highly within the tumor tissue to differentiate into effector CTLs
context-specific, depending on the type of antigen and route capable of eliminating the tumors [6]. Notably, it has been
of exposure. In the case of cancer, it is not fully understood shown that the failure of tumors to attract the cDCs inhibits
how endogenous tumor antigen is processed and delivered activation of CD8+ CTLs response to malignant cells [12].
into lymphoid tissue, although naïve T cell activation has However, this defect can be reversed by immunotherapy that
long been known to be mediated by DCs within the draining increases the number of cDCs within the tumor [12], under-
lymph node. Nonetheless, two recent investigations have scoring the critical role of cDCs in regulating CD8+ T cell
revealed that tumor-associated fluorescent proteins are function within tumors. Modulating cDC levels within local
actively conveyed by CD103+ conventional dendritic cells tumors may therefore be a promising therapeutic strategy.
(cDCs) that travel from the tumor to the lymph nodes in a
CCR7-dependent fashion [6, 9]. Notably, this phenomenon
occurs in both implantable and spontaneous tumor models, 3.3 Cross Talk of DC with
circumventing any experimental anomalies that may arise T Cells and NK Cells
when injecting significant amounts of dead or dying cells.
Another level of upregulation of anti-tumor immunity is to
modulate cDC and CD8+ CTL interaction/engagement. The
3.2 DC Plays Pivotal Roles in migration of cDCs to the location of T cells has been shown to
Tumor Immunity be critical to the induction of effective CTL mediated adaptive
immune response [13]. This essential step is dependent on the
Regulation of the function of dendritic cells (DCs) is crucial production of stimulatory cytokines and chemokines by cDCs
in establishing adaptive immunity against cancer, as evi- within the tumor microenvironment. Studies have shown that
denced by both animal models and human cancer patients. In chemokine production by cDCs, such as CXCL9 and
solid tumors, antigen uptake and presentation are mainly car- CXCL10, is essential for enhancing the efficacy of immuno-
ried out by monocytes and DCs. Although monocytes are the therapy. Along with chemokines, immune-related cytokines,
principal phagocytic cells in tumors, they are unable to acti- including IL-12 and IFNγ, are critical for promoting crosstalk
vate T cells in some cases and do not migrate to lymph nodes between CD8+ T cells and cDCs within the tumor microenvi-
[5]. Instead, monocytes often hinder T-cell responses against ronment. Interestingly, cDCs have also been shown to interact
Immunemodulation and Cancer 19
with Natural Killer (NK) cells, which play a crucial role in are critical in bridging innate and adaptive immune responses;
immune surveillance against cancer. Activated NK cells can specifically, TLRs play a critical role in stimulating DC mat-
recruit cDCs to infiltrate the tumor tissue. Analysis of gene uration, antigen uptake and presentation and the differentia-
signatures in human tumors has indicated that the presence of tion of T helper cells such as Th1, Th2 and Th17 and
NK cells is associated with the recruitment and appearance of controlling the suppressive function of regulatory T (Treg)
cDCs within the tumor microenvironment, suggesting that cells. In addition, signals via TLRs represent a potent means
modulation of NK cell presence within the tumor could sig- of modulating immune responses to cancer vaccines, a novel
nificantly enhance CTL-mediated immune responses [12, 14]. strategy now being evaluated in clinical trials. Vaccination
The requirement for interaction and cross-talk between cDC against cancer antigens largely relies on the use of DCs [16].
and other types of immune cells, particularly of CD8+ CTLs, As mentioned previously, DCs act as sentinels of the immune
demonstrates that the complexity of the antitumor immune system and play a crucial role in initiating and directing
response within the tumor and indicates that the migration/ immune responses. This is due to their ability to capture, pro-
localization of DCs and lymphocytes within the tumor is a key cess, and present self-tumor antigens to T cells and other
regulator of their function and activities. immune cells, ultimately leading to a potent and cancer-
specific immune response capable of killing tumors.
However, it is widely acknowledged within the field that
4 Regulation DC by TLR Receptors tumor antigens alone are not strong enough to stimulate
APCs to induce clinically significant anti-tumor immune
4.1 Basic Biology of Toll-like Receptors responses, unless there is the involvement of professional
(TLRs) DCs to some extent [18]. As professional APCs, DCs express
a significant number of TLRs and possess powerful effects
Since activation of DC is central and induction of their on lymphocytes. TLRs can promote DC and immune
in vivo function is critical, therefore targeting DCs may pro- response, because DCs are at the interface of innate and
vide clinical approaches to improve immune responses in adaptive immune responses. However, in most cases, there is
cases where targeting T cells alone is not effective. Over the often lacking activation of DC, as a result of inhibitory sig-
past two decades, a significant advancement in DC activation nals from tumor cells—which may also induce immune tol-
has been the use of exogenous activation signals through erance through T cell deletion or through suppressive Tregs
Toll-like receptors (TLRs). TLRs function as pathogen pat- [19], thus helping tumors escape from immune surveillance.
tern recognition molecules that detect and initiate innate and Over the past decade, numerous efforts have been made to
adaptive immune responses against pathogens and malignant promote DC activation using agonists of the innate immune
cells, acting as a first line of defense against infectious dis- system. For instance, intratumoral injection of TLR agonists,
eases and cancer. Recognition of ligands by TLRs triggers alarmins, defensin peptides, DAMPs, or cytolytic peptides
the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines and promotes can be utilized to improve the in situ antitumor response. As
DC maturation programs for the induction of adaptive a result, many TLR agonists have been investigated in the
immune responses. To date, more than 12 TLRs have been context of cancer treatment and could serve as useful thera-
identified in both humans and animals. TLRs belong to peutic strategies aimed at enhancing DC function to bolster
type-1 integral membrane glycoproteins and are character- the antitumor response [16, 20].
ized by extracellular domains containing a variable number
of leucine-rich repeat motifs and cytoplasmic Toll/interleu-
kin (IL-1R homology domain). TLRs can recognize a highly 4.3 Antitumor Effect of TLR3
conserved sets of molecular structures, so-called pathogen-
associated molecular patterns (PAMP), and/or damage asso- Among all the TLRs, TLR3 has been broadly studied for
ciated molecular patterns (DAMPs) such as RAGE and more than three decades. TLR3 is mainly expressed in neu-
HMGB, which leads to pathogen antigen uptake, processing, roectodermal and myeloid cells (including DCs). TLR3 of
and presentation to naive T cells in peripheral blood, lymph myeloid cells favorably acts as a receptor for the surface rec-
node, and tissues [15–17]. ognition of viral double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) [21]. The
effect of dsRNA as a TLR3 agonist in oncology has been
accessed by randomized clinical trials since the 1990s. Since
4.2 TLRs Play a Pivotal Role in Bringing then, many TLR3 agonists have been designed to mimic the
Innate and Adaptive Immunity dsRNA and have been studied, indicating that numerous
mechanisms subsidize the efficacy of TLR3 agonists. The
The recognition of PAMPs or DAMPs by TLRs leads to pro- TLR3 agonists, including RGC100, ARNAX, and polyino-
ducing proinflammatory cytokines, chemokines, type I inter- sinic: polycytidylic acid (poly-IC), are currently being exten-
ferons, and antimicrobial peptides 254,281. Therefore, TLRs sively studied. These agonists are used as adjuvants for
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CHAPTER VIII.
DANIEL POLLITT, ESQ., AND FAMILY.
The grand dinner-party at 500, Princes Gate, was over, the last
silken train had swept down the steps, the last brougham had
bowled away, and a somewhat bored-looking young man indulged in
a stretch and a prodigious yawn, and strolled slowly back to the
library, where the master of the house, a spruce little person of sixty,
with a rosy cheek and active eye, stood before the empty fireplace
(the month was June) with his coat-tails under his arms, engaged in
chewing a tooth-pick. Wealthy he may be, judging from his
surroundings, but he is certainly not distinguished in appearance; his
scanty locks are brushed out into two sharp horns over his large
ears. In spite of his blazing solitaire stud and faultless claw-hammer
coat, he is plebeian; yes, from the points of his patent leather shoes
to the crown of his bald head. It is difficult to believe that he is the
uncle of the aristocratic young fellow who has just entered and cast
himself into a deep armchair. What the French call “the look of race,”
is the principal thing that strikes one about Mark Jervis. It is
afterwards—possibly some time afterwards—that you realize the fact
that he is remarkably handsome, and considerably older than you
took him to be at the first glance. His smooth face and sunny hazel
eyes are misleading: young Jervis is more than nineteen, he is five
and twenty.
“Well, Mark, that’s over, thank God,” exclaimed Mr. Pollitt. “I hate
these big dinners; but your aunt will have them. She says we owe
them; women are never backward in paying those sort of debts. It
was well done, hey? That new chef is a success. Did you taste the
Perdreaux aux Chartreuse—or the Bouchée à la financière, or that
cold entrée?”
“No, Uncle Dan,” strangling another great yawn.
“Ah, you sly dog! You were too much taken up with Lady
Boadicea! She is considered a beauty—at least her picture made
rather a stir. What do you think? How does she strike you?”
“To me—she looks like a wax doll that has been held too close to
the fire—and she is about as animated.”
“Well, you can’t say that of the American girl, Miss Clapper—
there’s a complexion!—there’s animation!—there’s a stunner for
you!”
“A stunner, indeed! She thrust her money down my throat in such
enormous quantities that I could scarcely swallow anything else!”
“Then why the deuce did you not stuff some of mine down hers,
hey?” chuckling. “I saw you at Hurlingham this afternoon.”
“Did you, sir? I had no idea you were there.”
“It was a frightful squash—hardly a chair to be had; the Royalties,
a fine day and a popular match, brought ’em. I suppose that was the
new pony you were trying, brown with white legs. How do you like
him?”
“He is not handy, and he is a bit slow. He is not in the same class
with Pipe-clay, or the chestnut Arab; I don’t think we will buy him, sir.”
“Lord Greenleg was very anxious to hear what I thought of him. He
only wants a hundred and thirty—asked me to give him an answer
there and then, as he had another customer, but I thought I had
better wait till I heard your opinion. Is the pony worth one hundred
and thirty guineas? What do you say?”
“I say, cut off the first figure, and that is about his value,” rejoined
his nephew shortly.
Mr. Pollitt looked blank. He rather liked buying ponies from lords,
even at a high figure, but a hundred guineas too much was a stiff
sum. He knew that he could rely on the young fellow’s opinion, for
lazy as he seemed, lounging there in an easy chair, he could both
buy a horse and ride a horse—which does not always follow. The
languid-looking youth was a hard rider to hounds, and a finished polo
player.
“Then I suppose we shan’t mind the brown, eh, Mark?” said his
uncle rather dolefully. “After all, it is getting late in the season, and
his lordship has another offer.”
“Has he!” expressively. “Oh, then, that is all right.”
“Your side played up well to-day, my boy!”
“And were well beaten—two goals to four. Johnny Brind is no good
as a back. He sits doubled up in his saddle, like an angry cat, and
lets the ball roll out between his pony’s fore legs—and his language!”
“That did not come as far as my ears. I saw you speaking to Lord
Robert Tedcastle. You were at Eton with him—you might bring him
home to lunch some Sunday; and that Italian prince, did you come
across him?” anxiously.
“No; I did not see him.”
“I noticed you having a long talk with that young Torrens; what was
he yarning about? He was nodding his head and waving his hands
like a cheap toy.”
“He was telling me of his plans. He and his brother are off to
America next week, they are going on to Japan, Australia, and India.
I say, Uncle Dan,” suddenly sitting erect, “I wish you would let me
travel for a couple of years and see the world.”
A silence of nearly a minute, and then Mr. Pollitt burst out—
“Now, this is some stuff that young ass Torrens has been putting
into your head. To see the world! What world? You see it at home.
England is the world. You have the best of everything here—the
handsomest women, finest horses, best food and drink, best——” he
paused, and his nephew, who was nursing his leg, blandly
suggested “climate.”
“Climate be hanged! best society,” bawled Mr. Pollitt. “The fact of
the matter is, you young chaps don’t know when you are well off.
Travel—see the world—skittles!”
“I know that I am exceedingly well off, thanks to you, Uncle Dan,”
rejoined his nephew, quietly. “I have capital polo ponies, a first-rate
stud of hunters, a splendid allowance—but a fellow can’t play polo,
and hunt, and go to balls and theatres all his life; at least, that’s not
my idea of life. I have nothing to do, no profession, you know; you
would not hear of my going into the service.”
“No—I hate the army—what prospect does it offer the young idiots
who are slaving to get into it—to live vagabonds, and die beggars!”
“There was the diplomatic corps; but I’ve not brains enough for
that.”
“Bosh! You don’t want a profession, taking bread out of other
people’s mouths. You are my heir—that’s your profession. As to
intellect, there is a great deal too much intellect in these days; the
world would be far easier to govern if there was less! You have
brains enough, my boy, you did very well at Oxford.”
“I know that I am very fortunate,” repeated the young man, “and
that thousands of fellows would give anything to stand in my shoes.”
“Clarence for one,” interrupted his uncle, with a loud chuckle.
“But I’m sick of the eternal treadmill round of the London season—
Ascot, Goodwood, Cowes, Scotland. Then back to London, and we
begin the whole business over again. We see the same people, and
do the same things.”
“How old are you, Mark?” broke in Mr. Pollitt, excitedly.
“Five and twenty.”
“One would think you were eighty-five! But it is all the rage to be
bored and blasé, and to give out that life is not worth living. You are
in the height of the fashion, my boy! The fact of the matter is—that
you are too prosperous. A blow of real trouble, cutting to the very
bone, would do you no harm.”
“Perhaps so. Properly speaking, I believe I ought to have been a
poor man’s son, and had to work my way. I feel that I could do it. I
would not have minded being a soldier, a sailor, an explorer, or even
a stock-rider.”
“In fact, to put the matter in a nutshell, anything but what you are.”
“Well, Uncle Dan, you have fought your way up to the front, step
by step, and won your spurs, and enjoyed the battle. I should like to
take some weapon, and strike into the fray.” Here he suddenly got
up, and came over to his uncle, and, putting his hand affectionately
on his shoulder said, “I would like to do something to make you”—
with a nervous laugh—“proud of me;” and as he looked into his
uncle’s shrewd little face, his eyes shone with repressed excitement.
“I’m proud enough. You are my own flesh and blood—a good-
looking chap, a capital rider, and a gentleman; a bit too fond of
dabbling with your nasty, dirty oil paints, a bit dreamy and Quixotic,
but——”
At this juncture the door was gently pushed open, and a long,
hooked nose came slowly into the room, followed by a tall, thin,
elderly lady, attired in a clinging mist-coloured robe, and blazing with
diamonds. A sallow, discontented-looking person, with a high-bred
air, despite her touzled fringe.
“So you are both here!” she murmured sweetly.
“Yes,” assented Mr. Pollitt; “and here is Mark,” waving a short
square hand towards him. “What do you think is his last craze,
Selina? He wants to travel for a couple of years, in order to see the
world. Just like the hero of a fairy tale.”
Mark hastened to place a chair for his aunt, into which she gently
sank, keeping her eyes steadily fixed on his as she did so, and
gradually narrowing her gaze to a cat-like glint.
“Do you know that I rather like the idea!” she remarked, after a
momentary silence. “I think it is a shocking thing for a young man to
waste his life, lounging in clubs gossipping and gambling, or playing
a game on the back of a pony. Travelling improves the mind and
enlarges the ideas.” Here, catching sight of Mr. Pollitt’s face of angry
scorn, she lost no time in adding, “You know, it is all the fashion to
travel, it’s only the second-rate people and nobodies who stay at
home. Lady Grace and Lord Kenneth are going out to India this cold
weather, so is the Duke of Saltminster, the Marquis and Marchioness
of Tordale, and crowds of other smart people.”
Smart people were to Mr. Pollitt, as his crafty wife knew, the very
salt of the earth; and his expression changed from that of repressed
fury to grave attention.
“India! Perhaps I would not mind so much,” he admitted, after a
pause. “The boy was born there, and he could look up his father.
Yes, and he might have some shooting, and pick up a few tigers, and
nice acquaintances and companions.”
“Oh, but, of course, Mark could not travel alone, dear. He must
have a pleasant and experienced——”
“Bear-leader or keeper; or what would you say to a chaperon?”
broke in her husband.
“My dearest!” she gravely expostulated. “You know perfectly well
that it would be frightfully dull for the poor boy roaming about the
country with no one to keep him company, not knowing where to go,
or what to say. Now Clarence,” and she hesitated.
“Yes—now Clarence. What now?” sharply.
“Clarence,” speaking very distinctly, “was stationed in India for
eight years. He is an experienced Anglo-Indian, has hundreds of
friends, talks Hindostani fluently, and could get no end of shooting
and introductions to native princes” (great emphasis on princes). “He
would be a capital guide for Mark.”
“Umph!” with a short laugh. “I’m not so sure of that, Mrs. Pollitt.”
“Oh, my dear Dan, he is perfectly steady now. Why, he is thirty-
five, and has sown his wild oats. I never quite believe in these
wonderfully good young men,” and she shot a swift glance at Mark.
“Except Mark, of course, and he ought to have been a parson, and,”
with a little sneer, “he may yet become a missionary.”
“But India is no novelty to Clarence,” protested Mr. Pollitt; “and, by
all accounts, he made it too hot to hold him. Mark can easily tack
himself on to some party of friends, and do the tour with them. You
say that the Rothmores——”
“Oh yes,” impatiently; “and they have made their arrangements
months ago. Mark cannot tack himself on to people, as you express
it; it would not do at all. On the contrary, he must have some one
tacked on to him. The trip will be a boon to my brother, as well as to
your nephew. Poor Clarence loves India. He is frightfully hard up; he
would be an ideal companion for Mark,” turning to him. “What do you
say, Mark? Answer us quite frankly.”
And under these circumstances what could Mark say but, “Yes; oh,
certainly. Clarence is a good sort.”
“And at any rate, he can well be spared from home,” added Mr.
Pollitt, dryly.
“Then you will consent to Mark’s request, darling?” said his wife,
rising and tapping him playfully with her big feather fan. “Think of all
he will have to tell you, and of all the pretty things he will bring us.”
“As long as he does not bring a wife!” growled the old gentleman.
“Well, well, well, it is not often that you and Mark are on the same
side in a debate, or that you second the resolution. When you
combine, you are too strong for me. I’ll think it over.”
Mrs. Pollitt gave her nephew by marriage a quick significant
glance, for this speech distinctly showed that the bill before the
(head of the) house had passed, and that it now only remained to go
into a committee of ways and means.
CHAPTER IX.
PERMISSION TO TRAVEL.