immune surveillance
noun
variants
or immunosurveillance
or less commonly immunological surveillance
: the monitoring process by which cells of the immune system (such as natural killer cells, cytotoxic T cells, or macrophages) detect and destroy premalignant or malignant cells in the body
Scientists believe the immune system culls cells whose genetic machinery has gone haywire; errant cells that escape immune surveillance can become self-replicating monsters.—
David Stipp
David StippAccording to [Douglas] Hanahan and [Robert A.] Weinberg, one of the emerging hallmarks of cancer is the ability to escape immunosurveillance and an enabling characteristic for the acquisition of these capabilities is the inflammation propagated by the tumor.—Ioannis L. Aivaliotis et al.
Ioannis L. Aivaliotis et al.
broadly
: any monitoring process of the immune system that detects and destroys foreign substances, cells, or tissues
Once their bodies were no longer exposed regularly to the [HIV] virus, however, immune surveillance stopped, allowing latent pockets of the virus, which previously had not caused a full-blown infection, to multiply explosively. —Thomas H. Maugh
Thomas H. Maugh Examples of immune surveillance in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The absence of lymph nodes in these ancient species might suggest that evolution found… other ways… to build efficient immune surveillance networks.
—Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes.com, 11 July 2025
Overweight and obese participants also had significantly higher numbers of non-classical monocytes (NCM), a subclass of monocytes that act as immune surveillance cells, and elevated levels of proinflammatory cytokines.
—New Atlas, 25 Feb. 2025
But cancer cells can stop expressing these antigens, slipping past immune surveillance.
—William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 25 Oct. 2024
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes.com, 11 July 2025
Overweight and obese participants also had significantly higher numbers of non-classical monocytes (NCM), a subclass of monocytes that act as immune surveillance cells, and elevated levels of proinflammatory cytokines.
—New Atlas, 25 Feb. 2025
But cancer cells can stop expressing these antigens, slipping past immune surveillance.
—William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 25 Oct. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Immune surveillance.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/immune%20surveillance. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
immune surveillance
noun
variants
or immunosurveillance
also immunological surveillance
: the monitoring process by which cells of the immune sytstem (as natural killer cells, cytotoxic T cells, or macrophages) detect and destroy premalignant or malignant cells in the body
In transplant recipients, the increased incidence of HPV-related malignancies suggests the greater oncogenic potential of the virus in the setting of impaired immune surveillance.—Brittany N. Stiebing et al.
Brittany N. Stiebing et al.According to [Douglas] Hanahan and [Robert A.] Weinberg, one of the emerging hallmarks of cancer is the ability to escape immunosurveillance and an enabling characteristic for the acquisition of these capabilities is the inflammation propagated by the tumor.—Ioannis L. Aivaliotis et al.
Ioannis L. Aivaliotis et al.
broadly
: any monitoring process of the immune system that detects and destroys foreign substances, cells, or tissues
One way in which an infectious agent can evade immune surveillance is by altering its antigens; this is particularly important for extracellular pathogens, against which the principal defense is the production of antibody against their surface structures. —C. A. Janeway Jr. et al.
C. A. Janeway Jr. et al. Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share