Review Explores Immune Control of Breast Cancer Dormancy Across Organs
Published in Diseases!, Immunology, Journals.
Published October 25, 2026.
A new review in npj Breast Cancer examines how the immune system can influence whether disseminated breast cancer cells remain dormant or resume metastatic growth.
Hayley M. Sabol and Lucia Borriello consider evidence across four organs: bone, lung, liver and brain. Their synthesis highlights the protective roles that CD8-positive T cells and natural killer cells can play in maintaining dormancy.
The balance can shift when immune suppression, remodeling of the local tissue environment, aging or inflammation favors cancer-cell awakening. The review frames dormancy as an interaction between tumor cells, surrounding tissues and systemic conditions.
This is a review of existing research, rather than a new clinical trial. It does not demonstrate that an immune intervention prevents relapse, nor establish a treatment recommendation. The mechanisms discussed may guide future research into recurrence prevention, but clinical benefit requires direct testing.
The publisher has released an accepted, peer-reviewed version that remains subject to editing.
Source: Sabol and Borriello, npj Breast Cancer, October 23, 2026.