Narrative review discusses dual role of senescent cells in cancer immunity and emerging therapeutic strategies.

This narrative review addresses the dual role of senescent cells within the context of tumor immunity and cancer control. The scope encompasses the mechanisms by which senescent cells influence the tumor microenvironment, including their potential to enhance immune surveillance through SASP-mediated effects and their inherent immunogenicity. Conversely, the authors discuss how these cells may promote tumorigenesis by fostering an immunosuppressive microenvironment and upregulating immune checkpoints to facilitate escape.

The review further explores systemic senescence induction, noting that such approaches can lead to off-target effects in healthy tissues. While the specific study populations and sample sizes are not reported, the qualitative synthesis suggests that selectively eliminating senescent populations remains a theoretical strategy. The authors acknowledge that the current understanding is based on mechanistic insights rather than pooled quantitative data from clinical trials.

Limitations of the evidence are inherent to the narrative format, which precludes the calculation of effect sizes or confidence intervals. Consequently, the practice relevance is framed as an emerging approach rather than an established standard. Clinicians should interpret these findings as a conceptual framework for next-generation immunotherapies rather than definitive clinical guidance, given the lack of reported adverse event rates or specific tolerability data.