Tumor Immunology Flashcards

1
Q

Paraneoplastic syndromes are __________.

A

syndromes in which patients develop secondary, organ-specific symptoms in response to cancer; most commonly, cancers can present with antibodies to tumor cells that also attack parathyroid cells

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2
Q

Interestingly, athymic nude mice do not _________; they will do so, however, if ________.

A

spontaneously develop cancer; cancer cells are transplanted to them

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3
Q

The most common way cancers are killed is __________.

A

immune-mediated elimination

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4
Q

Before cancer growth, cancers must __________.

A

undergo a period of equilibrium with the immune system and then ultimately escape

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5
Q

By what ways do tumors down regulate the immune system?

A

They (1) decrease their MHC expression, which helps them hide from CTLs; (2) increase Treg generation, which suppresses overall immune response; (3) generate M2, immunosuppressive macrophages; (4) generate a hypoxic environment that decreases the immune response; (5) secrete immunosuppressive cytokines; (6) increase PD-L1; and (7) increase CTLA-4 ligands B7-1 and B7-2

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6
Q

How are driver mutations different from passenger mutations (in cancer cells)?

A

Driver mutations are genes that cause cancer (oncogenes and tumor suppressors), while passenger mutations are all other mutations; generally, passenger mutations are deleterious.

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7
Q

The more mutations a cancer has, the _______.

A

better the prognosis

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8
Q

What are neoepitopes?

A

Neoepitopes are epitopes that cancer cells express; they are targets for monoclonal antibody.

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9
Q

What two T cell receptors interact with CD80/CD86?

A

CD28 (which stimulates T cell growth) and CTLA-4 (which inhibits T cell growth)

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10
Q

Following the initial cell interactions (involving CD80/CD86), T cells express __________.

A

PD-1 (an inhibitory receptor)

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11
Q

Tumors that don’t express PD-L1 don’t respond to _________ as well as those that do.

A

antibody therapay

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12
Q

List some of the evidence that supports the theory that the immune system tries to fight cancer.

A

(1) Researchers have found T lymphocytes that attack tumor cells; (2) immunocompromised people have higher rates of cancer; (3) some cancers spontaneously regress; and (4) people develop antibodies to cancer that can lead to paraneoplastic syndromes

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13
Q

What cancer usually has the most mutations?

A

Melanoma; one patient’s cancer was found to have 3,000 protein-altering mutations

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14
Q

Why are tumors good targets for ADCC?

A

Because natural killer cells don’t kill cells with lots of MHC I; the thought behind that is that MHC I killing is the CTLs’ job. Because tumors down-regulate MHC I to escape killing, then they are good targets for NKs.

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15
Q

Which cells normally express PD-L1?

A

APCs

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