Tumor cell survival strategies in Hodgkin lymphoma

Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is characterized by a minority of tumor cells located within an abundant infiltrate consisting of various types of inflammatory cells. ?e scarce tumor cells survive this hostile environment by producing immune suppressive factors and attracting specific non-hostile infiltrating cell populations [1]. However, it is likely that additional mechanisms are involved. In this thesis, we investigated the role of the HGF/c-Met signaling pathway and several other factors that can modulate the anti-tumor immune response, i.e. expression of toll like receptors (TLRs), functionality of HLA class II, expression of CD1 molecules and presence of invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells. Zie: Chapter 6