World Journal of Stem Cells - Aiming to immune elimination of ovarian cancer stem cells

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Ovarian cancer accounts for only 3% of all cancers in women, but it causes more deaths than any other gynecologic cancer. Treatment with chemotherapy and cytoreductive surgery shows a good response to the therapy. However, in a large proportion of the patients the tumor grows back within a few years. Cancer stem cells, that are less responsive to these treatments, are blamed for this recurrence of disease. Immune therapy either cellular or humoral is a novel concept to treat cancer. It is based on the notice that immune cells invade the tumor. However, the tumor invest heavily to escape from immune elimination by recruiting several immune suppressive mechanisms. These processes are normally in place to limit excessive immune activation and prevent autoimmune phenomena. Here, we discuss current knowledge about the immune (suppressive) status in ovarian cancer. Moreover, we discuss the immunological targets of ovarian cancer stem cells.....     Core tip: Ovarian cancer harbors, at a low frequency, cancer stem cells. Those cancer stem cells express stem cell specific antigens. Natural immunity against those antigens exists but is hampered by the suppressive microenvironment that the tumor creates. Erasing this suppressive microenvironment will make immunological elimination of those cancer stem cells is an attractive treatment option.