Module 3 - Immunotherapy Flashcards
Why do cancer cells often continue to grow unchecked by the immune system?
Cancer cells are often not recognized as foreign by the immune system, allowing them to grow unrestricted.
What distinguishes cancer immunotherapy from traditional cancer drugs?
Cancer immunotherapy utilizes the body’s immune system to attack cancer cells, while traditional cancer drugs directly target and poison cancer cells.
What distinguishes cancer immunotherapy from traditional cancer drugs?
Cancer immunotherapy utilizes the body’s immune system to attack cancer cells, while traditional cancer drugs directly target and poison cancer cells.
How do adverse effects of immunotherapy compare to those of some cancer drugs?
Adverse effects of immunotherapy are relatively minor compared to the adverse effects associated with some cancer drugs.
What are some common adverse effects of cancer immunotherapy?
Common adverse effects of cancer immunotherapy include injection site reactions, fever, chills, myalgias, arthralgias, nausea, vomiting, weakness, and the risk of hypersensitivity reactions.
What challenge does immunotherapy aim to overcome in recognizing cancer cells?
immunotherapy addresses the challenge of T cells and immune cells failing to recognize cancer cells as foreign due to various evasion mechanisms employed by cancer cells.
How do monoclonal antibodies function as “checkpoint inhibitors” in cancer treatment?
Monoclonal antibodies are used as “checkpoint inhibitors” to attach to proteins like PD-1/PD-L1 and CTLA-4 on cancer cells, allowing T cells to recognize and attack cancer cells.
Which types of cancer have shown remarkable success in clinical trials involving antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC)?
Melanoma has demonstrated remarkable success in ADCC clinical trials, and early reports show promise for head and neck cancers, breast cancer, lung cancer, liver cancer, and bladder cancer.
What are some examples of checkpoint inhibitors used in cancer immunotherapy?
Examples of checkpoint inhibitors include pembrolizumab (Keytruda), nivolumab (Opdivo), atezolizumab (Tecentriq), avelumab (Bavencio), durvalumab (Imfinzi), and ipilimumab (Yervoy).
What are some adverse effects associated with checkpoint inhibitors in cancer treatment?
Adverse effects of checkpoint inhibitors may involve immune-mediated reactions affecting the digestive, nervous, renal, and endocrine systems, resulting in conditions such as hepatitis, colitis, renal dysfunction, hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, and autoimmune conditions.
What is adoptive cell therapy, and how many types of approaches are there?
Adoptive cell therapy, a form of immunotherapy, includes two types of approaches.
1. Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy.
2.Tumor infiltrating lymphocytes.
What is the primary focus of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy in cancer treatment?
CAR T-cell therapy involves genetically modifying T cells to express CAR, enabling them to recognize and destroy cancer cells more effectively.
Which cancer has CAR T-cell therapy demonstrated effectiveness in, and what is the current status of approval for CAR T-cell therapy?
CAR T-cell therapy has been effective in treating leukemia and is in trials for other cancers. Tisagenlecleucel (Kymriah) is approved but available through a risk evaluation and mitigation strategy (REMS).
What is cytokine release syndrome, and what are its common symptoms?
Cytokine release syndrome is an adverse reaction where immune cells release a large volume of cytokines, causing fever, nausea, headache, tachycardia, skin reactions, and dyspnea.
What are tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), and how are they used in cancer treatment?
Tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) are T cells that infiltrate solid tumors. They are removed, replicated in the lab, treated with IL-2, and then reintroduced into the patient to enhance their cancer-fighting capabilities.
