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Most patient-derived tumours grown subcutaneously as xenografts do not metastasize, but metastasis can occur if intact tumour tissue is orthotopically implanted. This Comment argues that these orthotopic xenografts therefore better mimic patient tumours.
Hosteet al. discuss whether allergic immune responses, which have been observed to be protective against some types of cancer, can be activated to target cancer, and what the mechanism of antitumour allergic responses might be.
Why do inherited germline mutations in common cancer-associated genes cause a restricted pattern of tissue-specific malignancies, but when somatic mutations occur in these genes they exhibit far less tissue restriction?