Traditionally, Ehrlich's tumor is used in experimental oncology to investigate the therapeutic capacity of different synthetic chemotherapeutic agents or to evaluate the antitumoral activity of different substances of natural origin. However, the understanding of immune mechanisms during Ehrlich carcinogenesis is still limited. In this review, we seek to describe the immune response during Ehrlich's tumor growth, and natural response without the influence of pharmacological administration, immunotherapies or concomitant challenges. The study followed the recommendations of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA). A systematic review was carried out that included experimental trials with mice challenged with Ehrlich's tumor. The research was carried out in three databases including MEDLINE/PubMed, Scopus, Latin American and Caribbean Literature in Health Sciences (LILACS). The searches resulted in 913 papers being found, of which 55 articles were considered eligible, and of these 55, 29 were selected for analysis. Findings indicate that there is an increase in the expression of M2 and T Helper (TH2) macrophages and of the cytokines IL-17, IL-1B, IL-6 and PGE in the ascitic form of Ehrlich. These phenotypic expressions are also found in ascitic neoplasms in humans. Ehrlich's solid tumor was characterized by increased expression of CD4, CD8, neutrophils and TNF-a, Foxp3 + and Qa-2 +, and these characteristics are analogous to human breasts cancers. It is our understanding that further studies are needed to assess the immune mechanisms in Ehrlich's tumor, since these findings can be used to improve cancer treatments that are analogous to Ehrlich's tumor.
Keywords: Ehrlich's tumor; Experimental oncology; Immune responses.
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