Virus-infected and tumor cells

Virus-infected and tumor cells represent pathological cellular states rather than a single molecular target. These cells are characterized by abnormal behavior, such as uncontrolled proliferation in the case of cancer or the hijacking of cellular machinery for pathogen replication in the case of viral infection (NCBI, 2021). Both cell types often exhibit altered surface markers, such as viral proteins or tumor-associated antigens, which allow the immune system or therapeutic agents to distinguish them from healthy host cells (NCI, 2023). Therapeutic strategies aimed at these cells include direct-acting antivirals, cytotoxic chemotherapy, and immunotherapies like checkpoint inhibitors or CAR-T cells (StatPearls, 2023). Because this term encompasses a wide variety of cell types and diseases, it is considered a broad therapeutic category rather than a specific protein or receptor target (PubMed, 2022).

Other names

Malignant cellsVirally transformed cellsPathological host cellsInfected cells

Induction of apoptosis, inhibition of protein synthesis, and enhancement of antigen presentation to facilitate immune-mediated lysis.