IL18 and neoplasm: During the early stages of carcinogenesis, the immune response can repress tumorigenesis, potentiating tumor surveillance, e.g., IL-18 secretion activates natural killer (NK) cells to exert their cytotoxic potential against tumor cells; however, unprovoked continuous inflammasome activation and the presence of IL-1b in the TME attracts immunosuppressive cells such as MDSCs, which promote tumor invasion and metastasis [53].