Dysregulation of the epigenome drives aberrant transcriptional programmes that promote cancer onset and progression. Although defective gene regulation often affects oncogenic and tumour-suppressor networks, tumour immunogenicity and immune cells involved in antitumour responses may also be affected by epigenomic alterations. This could have important implications for the development and application of both epigenetic therapies and cancer immunotherapies, and combinations thereof. Here, we review the role of key aberrant epigenetic processes — DNA methylation and post-translational modification of histones — in tumour immunogenicity, as well as the effects of epigenetic modulation on antitumour immune cell function. We emphasize opportunities for small-molecule inhibitors of epigenetic regulators to enhance antitumour immune responses, and discuss the challenges of exploiting the complex interplay between cancer epigenetics and cancer immunology to develop treatment regimens combining epigenetic therapies with immunotherapies.

表观基因组的失调驱动异常的转录程序，从而促进癌症的发作和发展。尽管有缺陷的基因调控通常会影响致癌和抑癌网络，但肿瘤的免疫原性和参与抗肿瘤反应的免疫细胞也可能受到表观基因组学改变的影响。这可能对表观遗传疗法和癌症免疫疗法及其组合的开发和应用具有重要意义。在这里，我们回顾了关键异常表观遗传过程（DNA甲基化和组蛋白的翻译后修饰）在肿瘤免疫原性中的作用，以及表观遗传调控对抗肿瘤免疫细胞功能的影响。我们强调表观遗传调节剂的小分子抑制剂有机会增强抗肿瘤免疫反应，