Tumor Immunology Flashcards
Which genes promote cellular growth?
proto-oncogenes
Which genes restrict cellular growth?
tumor suppressor genes
What are three mutations related to the molecular basis of cancer?
Radiation, Chemicals, Viruses
What step in tumor formation is the cellular exposure to insults causing multiple mutations?
Induction
Abnormal Growth
Dysplasia
Tumor with uncontrolled growth
Neoplasm
A tumor that is incapable of indefinite growth is classified as what?
Benign
Synonym for malignant tumor
cancer
What classification is a tumor that is poorly differentiated, similar to embryonic tissue, more aggressive with a poorer prognosis?
anaplastic
A tumor that is more similar to normal tissue is ________?
Well-differentiation
What does “T” represent in TNM classification?
Size of primary tumor
What does “N” represent in TNM classification?
Involvement of lymph nodes
What are the three phases of cancer?
In-situ. Invasion, Dissemination
What cancer phase has neoplastic cells confined to the tissue of origin?
In-Situ Phase
What cancer phase has cells that are malignant and aggressive?
Invasion Phase
What cancer phase has cells traveling throughout the body?
Dissemination Phase
Which routes are most common for cancer cells during metastasis?
Blood and Lymphatics
What are three etiologic agents for cancer?
chemically induced, virus induced, UV induced
True/False? Tumors induced by the same virus express the same tumor antigen?
True
Why is it difficult to develop a vaccine for chemically induced tumors?
Unique Expression of Antigens
What type of cancer is related to UV induced tumors?
melanomas
What are three types of cancer based on the tissue affected?
carcinoma, sarcoma, leukemias and lymphomas
What theory hypothesizes that cancerous cells arise regularly but the body eliminates them before they become harmful to surrounding tissue?
Immuno-surveillance
Immunosurveillance could be a component of ___________?
Immunoediting
What are the three “E’s” of Immunoediting?
Elimination, Equilibrium, Escape
What are three ways a tumor can escape immune surveillance?
1) Generation of regulatory cells
2) Secretion of immunosuppressive molecules
3) Failure to process and present tumor antigens
What happens if you lack Signal 2 from the two signal mechanism for T-cell activation?
Anergy (lack of reaction by the body’s defense mechanisms to foreign substances) or Apoptosis
What happens when a tumor cell expresses Fas Ligand?
They can kill Fas+Tcells and escape immune destruction
What are two antigens expressed on tumor cells?
Tumor Specific Antigen (TSA)
Tumor Associated Antigen (TAA)
Which is unique to a tumor only and which is shared by tumors and normal cells? TSA, TAA
TSA - tumor only
TAA - both
Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and Carcinoembryonic Ag (CEA) are Tumor-Associated _________ Ags. Both can reappear in adult life and cause cancer.
Develomental
AFP is associated with _______ cancer.
Liver
CEA is associated with __________ cancer.
Colorectal (fetal gut)
What form of treatment is used for localized tumors?
Surgery
What types of treatment are used for metastatic tumors?
Radiation and Chemotherapy
What are two types of Active immunizations, specifically viral?
Hep B and HPV
What is an example of a non-specific Active Immunization?
BCG - melanoma, bladder carcinoma
What are two types of specific passive immunization?
Abs against HER2 (Breast Cancer)
Abs against IL-2R (Adult cell leukemia)
When would you use an unlabelled monoclonal Ab that is Anti-CD20?
Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma
What can Anti-tumor Abs be coupled with to improve effectiveness?
toxins, radioisotopes, drugs, enzymes
What are two examples of adoptive Immunotherapy?
- Lymphokine-activated killer cells (LAK) blood
2. Tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) solid tumors
What type of cells are highly potent antigen processing and presenting cells which prime an immune response and pulse with tumor antigens or gene transfer?
Dendritic Cells
