Review Article

Functional Alteration of Natural Killer Cells and Cytotoxic T Lymphocytes upon Asbestos Exposure and in Malignant Mesothelioma Patients

Figure 6

Summary of our study results and discussions. It is illustrated that asbestos exposure may exert not only a carcinogenic effect, but also an immune-suppressive effect, and that there might be an interaction between antitumor immunity and “nonself” cells that results either in the successful removal of these cells or the development of tumor. Our study results are summarized below. Abbreviations: Perf, perforin; GranB, granzyme B.