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1. 3. 2026.
Immunometabolic gatekeeping: How tissue metabolism conditions tumor immunity.
Why the link between immune infiltration and tumor control varies so strongly across tissues remains unresolved. We propose the "immunometabolic gatekeeping" framework, whereby tissue-intrinsic metabolic activity and waste-handling capacity shape anti-tumour immunity. In high-flux tissues, metabolic stress impairs immune surveillance, decoupling infiltration from control and allowing tumor outgrowth. This framework explains cancer paradoxes-including T cell prognostic heterogeneity, hereditary and pediatric tumor tropisms, sex-biased tumor incidence, and cancer-resistant species-and suggests metabolism-aware strategies for cancer prevention and immunotherapy.