Title: The Effect of Smoking on the Orientation of the Immune Response among Healthy Heavy Smokers and those Suffering from Lung Cancer 
Duration: 2 years 
Partnership: U753 INSERM – Gustave Roussy Institute 

Summary: 
The concept of cancer immune surveillance, in which the immune system constantly monitors the emergence of tumors, is now well established. It has also been demonstrated, among animal samples and among humans, that a failure in the immune system responses induced an increased incidence of spontaneous and induced tumors. Thus, the main focus of the study is to determine the effect of excessive consumption of cigarettes in the immune surveillance of lung tumors through the study of the orientation of immune responses and the characterization of CD8+ cytotoxic T cell, which are the key actors of the immune surveillance. The role of this surveillance is crucial in the recognition and lysing of tumor cells.