Can effector T lymphocytes initiate cancer?

Abstract
Around 30% of cancers are preceded by chronic inflammation which occurs at the site where tumors will develop. However, whether this oncogenic process, particularly observed in the intestine, can be initiated by a specific immune cell population remains unknown. We recently identified two distinct effector T cell populations capable to initiate the oncogenic transformation of a healthy intestinal epithelium (Fesneau et al., Nat Immunol. 2024; Brewer et al., Nat. Rev. Canc. 2024), as well as the factors controlling their differentiation. By revealing the presence of tumorigenic T cells, this work opens a new field in oncology and immunology that will be key for both our understanding of the early steps of carcinogenesis and the development of prophylactic therapies against cancer.