T-cell exhaustion

{
  "id": "MLC-T-ONC-008550",
  "term": "T-cell exhaustion",
  "field": "Oncology and biomedicine",
  "definition": "Describes a condition in which T cells (a type of immune cell) lose their ability to kill certain cells, such as cancer cells or cells infected with a virus. This can happen when cancer, chronic infection, or other conditions cause the body’s immune system to stay active for a long time. Exhausted T cells have high amounts of immune checkpoint proteins on their surface, which may keep the activity of the T cells suppressed. In cancer treatment, drugs that target these proteins may be given to allow the T cells to better kill cancer cells. Learning more about T-cell exhaustion may help in the development of new types of immunotherapy to treat cancer.",
  "references": [
    "NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms"
  ],
  "url": "https://mlchart.com/terminology/oncology/t-cell-exhaustion/"
}