Demonstration of inflammation-induced cancer and cancer immunoediting during primary tumorigenesis

Here we report the effects of loss of the Toll-like receptor-associated signaling adaptor myeloid-differentiation factor 88 (MyD88) on tumor induction in two distinct mouse models of carcinogenesis. The 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA)/12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA)-induced skin papilloma model depends on proinflammatory processes, whereas the 3'-methylcholanthrene (MCA) induction of fibrosarcoma has been used by tumor immunologists to illustrate innate and adaptive immune surveillance of cancer. When exposed to a combination of DMBA/TPA, mice lacking MyD88 formed fewer skin papillomas than genetically matched WT controls treated in a similar manner. Unexpectedly, however, fewer MyD88⁻/⁻ mice formed sarcomas than WT controls when exposed to MCA. In contrast, MyD88-deficient mice did not show a defective ability to reject highly immunogenic transplanted tumors, including MCA sarcomas. Despite the reported role of TNF in chronic inflammation, TNF-deficient mice were significantly more susceptible to MCA-induced sarcoma than WT mice. Overall, these data not only confirm the key role that MyD88 plays in promoting tumor development but also demonstrate that inflammation-induced carcinogenesis and cancer immunoediting can indeed occur in the same mouse tumor model.