Immune Phase Conductorship: Boundary-First Modulation of Neutrophil-Driven Synchronisation in Tumour Microenvironments

Abstract Tumour progression is commonly described as a failure of immune surveillance or an active suppression of immune function. Here, we propose a simpler and more general framework: cancer persistence arises from pathological phase locking within the tumour microenvironment, mediated primarily by neutrophils acting as fast coupling agents. Neutrophils do not determine outcomes through intent or polarity but through early arrival, rhythmic signalling, and boundary conditioning that entrains surrounding biological processes. Tumours exploit this property to stabilise growth-supportive immune rhythms. We argue that effective intervention should focus not on immune activation or suppression but on intentional modulation of phase relationships via timing, spatial geometry, and boundary conditions. This boundary-first conductorship model offers a unifying explanation for paradoxical immune behaviour in cancer and provides testable predictions for desynchronisation-based therapies. Keywords Neutrophils; phase locking; tumour microenvironment; immune synchronisation; boundary-first biology; timing-based therapy; desynchronisation; conductorship