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Recommended reading
Immunobiology : the immune system in health and disease /Charles A. Janeway, Paul Travers, Mark Walport and Mark Shlomchik; 2005, Garland Science Publishing Janeway's immunobiology 7th ed. / Kenneth Murphy, Paul Travers, Mark Walport ; with contributions by Michael Ehrenstein ... [et al.]; 2009, Garland Science Publishing The Immune system/Peter Parham, 2005, Garland Science Publishing Cellular and molecular immunology / Abul K. Abbas, Andrew H. Lichtman, Shiv Pillai/ 2007, Philadelphia : Saunders Elsevier ( also the 2005 Edition) Dunn GP, Koebel CM, Schreiber RD: Interferons, immunity and cancer immunoediting. Nature Reviews Immunology 2006, 6:836-848. Ichim, C.V. Revisiting immunosurveillance and immunostimulation: Implications for cancer immunotherapy J Transl Med 3, 8 (2005). Pardoll D. Does the immune system see tumors as foreign or self? Annu. Rev. Immunol. 2003, 21:807-39 Smyth, M. J. et al. A fresh look at tumor immunosurveillance and immunotherapy. Nature Immunology 2001, 2: 293 299.
Cancer
Uncontrolled growth produces a tumour ( neoplasm).
Benign - a tumour that is not capable of indefinite growth. It does not kill the host. Malignant - a tumour that grows indefinitely and often spreads (metastasis). It can kill the host.
Carcinoma: Cancer of endo or ectoderm e.g. Skin or epithelial lining of organs. Sarcomas: Cancer of mesoderm e.g. bone.
Leukemias and Lymphomas: Cancers of hematopoietic cells
Adaptive (specific) immune system (T and B-Lymphocytes) Production of antibody (Ab) or cells specific to combat a particular antigen
Innate immune responses help form adaptive immune responses, and Adaptive immune responses utilize the machinery of innate immunity for effector function
Evidence for the role of immune system in tumor rejection Spontaneous regression Regression of metastases after removal of primary tumor Regression after chemotherapy Infiltration of tumors by lymphocytes and macrophages Lymphocyte proliferation in draining lymph nodes Higher incidence of cancer after immunosuppression/immunodeficiency (AIDS, neonates, aged, transplant patients)
In 1972, Richmond Prehn formulated the theory of immunostimulation of tumour growth. This theory states that, in contrast to the strong immune response generated by transplantable tumours, a quantitatively mild immune response, such as that generated by spontaneous tumors, is stimulatory to the growth of neoplasia.
How the conflicting roles of the immune response in neoplasia can be explained?
Modern view: The immune system is not a single entity, but a complex system of constituents. The concept of immunosurveillance has been modified and is now considered in three phases: 1. Elimination phase - recognition and destruction of the tumour cells 2. Equilibrium phase occurs if elimination is not successful. Tumour cells undergo changes in a process called immunoediting. 3. Escape phase- tumour cells evolved enough to grow unimpeded and form a tumour
3. Cells of the immune system involved in anti-tumour response and basic mechanisms of antitumour immunity.
The immune system provides one of the body's main defenses against cancer.
IFN-g Natural
IFN-g
When normal cells turn into cancer cells, some of the antigens on their surface change. These new or altered antigens flag immune defenders, including cytotoxic T cells, natural killer cells, and macrophages.
T-cell classification
Classification is based on the Structure & antigen specificity of TCR (T-cell receptor) T cells are divided into two major groups: CD4+ T-helper and CD8+ T-cytotoxic cells. The differentiation of T cells into CD4 vs. CD8 occurs during their development in the thymus.
MHC I ---expressed on all nucleated cells - Present endogenous antigens -CD 8 + (Tc cells) -recognize antigen on MHC I
MHC II ---expressed on Antigen presenting cells (APC) - Present exogenous antigen - CD 4 + (Th cells) -recognize antigen on MHC II
Antigen presenting cells (APC) Dendritic Cells (DC) DCs are the interface between innate and adaptive immunity DCs are immature as they circulate waiting to encounter pathogens. At this point, they are highly phagocytic, but not good stimulators of adaptive T cell responses Once they are activated, they secrete cytokines to initiate inflammation and then they migrate to lymph nodes and mature As mature DCs they are very efficient APCs for T cell stimulation Other APCs: macrophages, neutrophils, Blymphocytes, monocytes.
Presence of tumour cells and tumour antigens may initiate the release of danger signals; cytokines, heat shock proteins (HSP), uric acid etc. Activation and maturation of dendritic cells, which present tumour antigens to CD8 and CD4 cells Clonal expansion of CD8 and CD4 T cells; migration from the lymph node Subsequent T cell mediated destruction of tumour cells
- Kill virally-infected cells with missing MHC class I - Activated by IFN-a/b or IL-12 (produced rapidly by activated macrophages)
Fig 8-3
- Activated NK cells secrete IFNg, acts on macrophages to increase microbial phagocytosis and killing
4. Tumours antigens: novel or over-expressed proteins produced by tumours that may be recognized by the immune system.
TSTA
Tumour-specific transplantation Ag
TATA
TSTA: unique to a tumour Play an important role in tumor rejection. TATA: shared by normal and tumour cells Tumour-associated developmental Ag (TADA) Tumour-associated viral Ag (TAVA)
Tumour-associated transplantation Ag
Identification of tumour antigens Use the immune system as a tool for the identification of immunogenic antigens Gene profiling genomics or transciptomics Proteomic approaches peptidomics, serum profiling In-silico bioinformatic approaches probing EST databases
Ideal tumour antigen: - displays tumour-specific expression - is immunogenic - plays an important functional role in cell survival / differentiation / metastasis etc.
Anti-tumour therapy
Specific Active Immunization: Vaccination with viral Antigens: e.g. Hepatitis B virus Human Papilloma virus (HPV) success story.
Ab Therapy Abs specific for oncogene product e.g. Abs against HER2/neu (Herceptin or trastuzumab)
Nonspecific:
BCG (Bacillus Calmette-Guerin) Mycobacteria used as an adjuvant - melanoma, bladder carcinoma Irradiated tumour cells ( with or without BCG)
Normal Macro phage
Tumor
Tumor lysis
Gene therapy
Introduce cytokine genes for IL-2, IL-4, IL-12, IFN-g etc into tumor cells to induce immune response. IL-2 tumour T cell
IFN-g
Macrophages