Someone asked me what might be causing the immune dysregulation that allows cancers to grow to begin with.

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There are a few different things at play. First there's genetic mutations due to inheritance, environmental factors or just regular faulty cell duplication that are not directly immune related. The pro-cancer mutations often relate to loss of control of cell growth factors. Then there's immune related genetic mutations that can favor tumor growth. These will favor an overexpression of tumor protective factors, lack of a strong immune response or an increase in factors such as VEGF that can increase growth rate. There's also immune dysregulation itself due to chronic inflammation that develops from injury, viral or bacterial infections or stress. That overreaction will increase tumor protectant factors in response. Eventually that chronic inflammation will lead to an exhaustion of killer macrophages leaving mainly the tumor protectant factors behind. So immune dysregulation is fairly vital to cancer developing.

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