Week 3 - Tutorial - Immunopathology Flashcards
(50 cards)
List 3 types of chronic inflammation which can lead to cancer. (provide specifics of both the inflammation & cancer)
Could be any 3 of the following
- Chronic Ulcerative Colitis = Colon Cancer
- Chronic Hepatitis B or C = Liver Cancer
- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) or asthma = lung cancer
- Chronic Cystitis = Bladder Cancer
- Sjogren syndrome = lymphoma
- Chronic Thyroiditis = lymphoma
- Fibrocystic breast disease = breast cancer
- Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia = prostate cancer
How does chronic inflammation develop into a tumour?
(can enter at any stage)
- Cells transform
- Primary growth
- Metastasis
What does a loss in gut bacteria cause? (could be one of 3 reasons)
- loss in gut bacteria =
- loss of barrier function
- increase commensal penetration
- increase inflammation
- = enhanced tumour growth
- Pathobiont-mediated tumorigenesis
- potentially pathogenic commensal strains enhance tumorigenesis
- use TH17 cells
- inflammation
- Dysbiosis-mediated inflammation
- loss of host-related innate sensing platforms
- = pertubation of microbiota composition and function
- = tumour growth enhanced

How do Inflammatory Cells help tumour cells?
Inflammatory cells release;
- Growth Factors
- TNF
- IL-1
- Survival Factors
- TNF
- IL-1
- IL-6
- CXCL8
- VEGF
- CSF1
Which alter the gene expression of the cell & thus promotes its survival & makes it flourish (specifically through action of IL-2)
What are the primary sources of Chronic Liver Disease?
- 26% Hepatitis C Virus
- 24% Alcohol
- 17% Unknown
- 14% Hepatitis C virus and Alcohol
- 11% Hepatitis B Virus
- 5% Other
- 3% Hepatitis B virus & alcohol
aka Hepatitis B & C main
although data was taken in Alabama
What are the main causes of Hepatitis C?
- 60% Injecting Drug use
- 15% Sexual
- 10% Transfusion (occurred before screening)
- 10% Unknown
- 4% Occupational
- 1% other (Nosocomial, iatrogenic, prenatal)
What does iatrogenic mean?
Means diseases that occurred due to a harmful complication, or other ill effects by any medical activity, including diagnosis, intervention, error, or negligence.
What is the progression of Chronic Liver Disease (CLD)?

How quickly can the liver regenerate itself?
~2 months
What is the prognosis of CLD?
1 in 4 die (aka v bad)
What is the progression of a healthy liver to liver cancer? Describe the 4 stages. (hint 2 have been said)
- Healthy liver
- normal
- Fibrotic Liver
- continuous inflammation
- if caused by Hep B
- lead to fibrosis aka HEALING WITH SCARRING
- ie formation of scar tissue
- Cirrhotic liver
- scar tissue replaces normal, healthy tissue
- blocks flow of blood through liver
- prevents norm function
- Liver Cancer
- formation of malignant tumours in liver
What does HCC stand for?
Hepatocellular carcinoma
How is Chronic liver disease diagnosed?
- Computed Tomography
- aka ultrasound
- to see if there are any visible lesions
- If yes, a percutaneous biopsy of lesions
- examination under microscope to compare morphology
- diagnose stage & prognosis
What are some factors that may cause liver inflammation?
- HBV & HCV (more so HCV as there is no vaccine)
- Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH)
- Alcohol
- Diabetes
- Aflatoxins
- abnormalities in TGF-β1 pathway
- p53 family abnormalities (as v important in killing cancer)
Which one is healthy? What is the other? Why do you think this?

- Left = Healthy
- normal
- Right = cirrhosis of liver
- many lymphoid cell infiltration
- more scar tissue (white)
Which of these is infecter and which is uninfected? What disease could it be & why?

- Left = unifected
- Right = infected
- probs HCV as
- its liver
- infiltration of lymphocytes is seen
- and connective tissue is being placed down
- probs HCV as
What is AFP & what is it a marker for?
Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP)
is a marker for some cancers specifically in the liver
If a patient has Hepatocellular Carcinomas (HCC) then they have a 34% chance of getting what disease?
HCC leads to pulmonary (lung) metastasis
What are the main treatment options for Liver Cancer?
- Liver Transplant
- Trans-Catheter Arterial Chemobolisation (TACE) - for patients who are not suitable for a liver transplant
What is TACE?
Trans-catheter arterial chemobolization
What is the main aim of TACE and how does it work?
- Aim = procedure performed in intentional radiology to restrict a tumour’s blood supply
- combines chemotherapy with embolization
- small embolic particles coated with chemotherapeutic drugs are injected selectively through a catheter into an artery that is directly supplying the tumour
- Particles block blood supply & induce cytotoxicity
What are the two main mechanisms that are beneficial to TACE?
- The typical blood supply of hepatic tumours
- The ability to deliver a higher dose of chemotherapeutic drugs
How is the blood supply of hepatic tumours beneficial to TACE?
- Most tumours are supplied by the PROPER HEPATIC ARTERY
- embolisation ideally interrupts the tumours blood supply through the blockage of the vessel
- this stalls growth until neovascularisation occurs
Why can higher doses be given during TACE?
- Higher doses of chemotherapeutic drugs can be given
- as it is being delivered to a focused area
- decreases systemic exposure (which is usually the limiting factor of doses)
- occurs due to increase likeliness that drugs
- arent washed out from the tumour’s vascular bed
- higher concentration of the drug to be in contact with tumour for a longer period of time