A new dawn in the late stage of alveolar echinococcosis "parasite cancer".

Recently, it is found that there is high concentration of potassium in tumor interstitial fluid, which causes "T cell exhaustion" and even autophagy of lymphocytes in tumors. The immune mechanism of the late stage of alveolar echinococcosis (AE) is similar to that of tumor immunity. We speculate that the growth and development of the worm body, the necrosis of the worm body and the release of high concentrations of potassium after hepatocyte necrosis in the pathological process of AE may cause "T cell exhaustion" in AE patients. If this assumption can be confirmed experimentally, T cell adoptive transfer around the AE infiltration zone will be utilized to assist the treatment of AE patients with complex conditions.