Tumor immunology Flashcards
What are carcinomas?
Turmors that arise from epithelial cells and are the most common of cancers
What are sarcomas?
Tumors that originate in muscle cells, fat cells or fibroblasts
What are lymphomas?
solid tumors of lymphoid tissues
What are leukemias?
Tumors derived from lymphocytes and other hematopoietic cells
What are the characteristics of benign tumors?
relatively slow growth rate, consist of somewhat differentiated cells and usually become encapsulated by connective tissue, therefore they don’t spread to other body sites
When are benign tumors fatal?
They are not usually fatal unless they occur at critical sites such as the brain or heart.
What are the characteristics of malignant tumors?
consist of undifferentiated cells and readily metastasize. Cancer is usually fatal if untreated
What are tumor specific antigens? How do they arise?
antigens that are unique to a particular tumor and are not present on normal cell types. They arise as a result of point mutations or gene rearrangements that occur during oncogenesis.
Why aren’t TSAs used for drug therapy?
not commonly seen in human tumors
What are Tumor-associated antigens (TAA’s)?
antigens shared by different tumors and can also be found on normal tissues.
What is the immunosurveillance theory?
Immune system detects and destroys CA (daily?)
What are oncofetal antigens?
Antigens expressed on fetal, but not adult tissues
What are alpha fetal proteins?
Proteins produced by certain liver CAs, replaced by albumin in adult.
What are carcinoembryonic antigens?
Antigens that are increased in colon CA and smoking
What are tumor associated antigens useful for, if you cannot use them to target therapy?
Diagnostic and monitoring
What are the three DNA viruses discussed in class that have been shown to induce tumors and express viral antigens on class I MHC proteins?
Epstein-barr causes B cell lymphoma
HPV-cervical carcinoma
Hep B-hepatocellular carcinoma
What is the RNA virus discussed in class that can produce tumors?
The RNA virus human T lymphotropic virus-1 (HTLV-1) causes an adult T cell leukemia/lymphoma of CD4+ T cells.
Why are tumors derived from viruses particularly immunogenic?
Seen as foreign
What are differentiation antigens?
Tissue specific, or differentiation, antigens that are present on normal cells types of adults can be expressed by some tumor types that develop from a particular tissue
When are differentiation antigens used?
diagnosing certain tumors by revealing their origin
Why are tumors difficult for the immune system to respond to? (2)
Rarely cause inflammation
Don’t express unique antigens
How can antibodies contribute to tumor cell proliferation?
Block receptor sites for CTLs