Support is requested for a Keystone Symposia meeting entitled Inflammation, Infection and Cancer, organized by Johanna A. Joyce, Timothy C. Wang and Frances R. Balkwill. The meeting will be held in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada from March 9-14, 2014. For many years, the presence of leukocytes in tumors had been thought to be a consequence of a failed attempt at cancer cell destruction. However, in the past decade it has emerged that tumors are not only effective in escaping from immune-mediated rejection, they also modify certain inflammatory cell types to render them tumor promoting rather than tumor suppressive. Indeed, inflammatory cells are an important component of the tumor microenvironment, and numerous clinical studies have established a positive correlation between inflammation and cancer progression. The Keystone Symposia meeting on Inflammation, Infection and Cancer will cover the latest research on the roles of inflammation and inflammatory cell subtypes on cancer initiation and progression. A special focus will be placed on emerging findings regarding the contributions of the host microbiome and infectious agents in eliciting an initial inflammatory response, and how that predisposes to specific types of cancer. Throughout the meeting there will be an emphasis placed not only on the mechanisms underlying the critical functions of infection and inflammation in cancers, but also on how to therapeutically target these processes in cancer. A critical component of this conference will be the joint sessions held with the companion meeting on Immune Evolution in Cancer, emphasizing the latest results in understanding and therapeutically targeting the functions of different immune cells in the tumor microenvironment. Hence, the program for this meeting is highly likely to attract a wide variety of investigators, many of whom might not otherwise interact. In summary, this meeting aligns with the NCI's mission to conduct and support research with respect to the cause, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of cancer.
