IMMUNOLOGY &

ONCOLOGY
EMERITA C. MENDOZA, R.N.,
M.D.
 Immune

System
The body’s special
defense against
foreign organisms

 Includes: lymphoid
organs (lymph
nodes, spleen, &
thymus gland) and
their products
(lymphocytes &
antibodies) and
macrophages
(phagocytes found in
the blood, brain,
liver, lymph nodes, &
 Defense Mechanisms

 Nonspecific  Specific
 Inflammation  T Lymphocytes

 B lymphocytes

 Cell-mediated
 Phagocytosis
Immunity
 Antibody-
 Interferons
mediated
Immunity
 Inflammation

 a response of
body tissues to
injury or irritation;
characterized by
pain and swelling
and redness and
heat
 Phagocytosis
 One of the main functions of inflammation
is to bring large numbers of phagocytes to
the affected area.
 Once there, phagocytes ingest bacteria by
flowing around them and engulfing them;
this is phagocytosis.
 As a bacterium is ingested, it is neatly
packaged within a vacuole formed by
membrane pinched off from the cell
membrane.
 One or more lysosomes adhere to the
vacuole and release enzymes into it that
kill the bacterium.
 Interferons
 When infected by viruses or other
intracellular parasites (some types of
bacteria, fungi, and protozoa], certain
types of cells respond by secreting
proteins called interferons.

 These proteins trigger other cells to

produce antiviral proteins. Viruses
produced in cells exposed to interferon are
not effective at infecting new cells.
 2 Major Disease Fighters
of the Immune System
T-cell lymphocytes 
differentiate primarily in the
thymus and are central to the
control and development of
immune responses.
B-cell lymphocytes 
immune system cells released
from the bone marrow, which
produce antibodies.
 T-cell lymphocytes
 Involved in cell-mediated
immunity
 Originate from bone marrow stem
cells & are processed in the
thymus gland
 When an Ag is encountered, the
T-cell multiplies rapidly to
produce cells that destroy the Ag
 T Cell Lymphocytes
1. Attach to Ag & directly destroy them
(cytotoxic T-cell or T8 cells)
2. Secrete proteins (cytokines:
interferons & interleukins) that help
other cells respond to Ag
3. Act as helper cells (T4 cells) to
promote antibody synthesis by B cells
and stimulate T cells.
4. Act as suppressor cells to inhibit B and
T cells.
 B-cell lymphocytes
 Involved in humoral immunity (Ab-mediated)
 Originate from bone marrow stem cells
 When confronted with a specific type of Ag, B-
cells transform into plasma cells  produce
antibodies called immunoglobulins:
 IgA – mainly found in secretions

 IgG – most abundant, crosses the placenta to

provide immunity to newborn
 IgE – important in allergic reaction & parasitic
infection
 IgM – produced in the primary response to Ag
 IgD – no known antibody function
 Cell-mediated Immunity -bind to
the surface of other cells that display the
antigen and trigger a response. The
response may involve other lymphocytes
and leukocytes.

 Antibody-mediated Immunity
-Antibodies, dissolved in blood, lymph and
other body fluids bind the antigen and
trigger a response to it.
 Immunity
 the body’s ability to resist foreign
organisms and toxins (poisons)
that damage tissues & organs

 2 types:
 Natural immunity - nonspecific
 Acquired immunity - specific
1. Acquired active immunity
2. Acquired passive immunity
 Graft Rejection
 It is an immune response aimed at
transplanted tissues
 Due to incompatibility of histocompatibility
genes and antigens
 1/1 match in autografting & between
identical twins
 ¼ match in siblings
 1/1000 match in unrelated persons
 Prevention: use of drugs & xrays to kill T-
lymphocytes (side effect: suppress
immune system)
 Hypersensitivity
 an allergy; an
exaggerated or
inappropriate
immune
response
categorized
based on which
part of the
immune system
that is involved
and the onset
of response
 ONCOLOGY
 The science dealing
with the physical,
chemical and
biological properties
and features of
cancer, including the
causes and
progression of the
disease.
Doctors who specialize
in oncology are called
oncologists.
 Introduction to
ONCOLOGY
 Cancer (CA) – a disease
characterized by
unrestrained & excessive
growth of cells in the body
 CA cells compress, invade,
& ultimately destroy
surrounding normal tissue
 may have local &
metastatic growth
 in females: lung CA, breast
& colorectal CA
 in males: lung, colorectal,
& prostate CA
 Carcinogenesis
I. Theory of Immunosurveillance
 failure of the immune system to eradicate
abnormal cells
II. Malignant transformation resulting from
damage to the genetic material, or DNA, of
the cell
 the processes of mitosis and protein synthesis are
disturbed
 altered DNA & altered cellular programs make
new signals that lead to movement of cells,
invasion of adjacent tissue, and metastasis
 changes established in a CA cell is passed on to
daughter cells  mutation
 Environmental Agents or
carcinogens
 Chemical carcinogens:
 hydrocarbons in cigarettes, cigars, pipe
smoke, & auto exhaust
 insecticides, dyes, industrial chemicals,
insulation
 hormone: Diethylstilbestrol (DES) – synthetic
oestrogen prescribed in the 1950s, 1960s,
and early 1970s to women to prevent
miscarriage causes malignant tumor CA of
the vagina
 drugs: estrogen – causes CA by stimulating
proliferation of cells in target organs such as
uterine lining
 Radiation: wave of energy
 sunlight, x-rays, radioactive
substances, nuclear fission
 leukemia – occupational hazard of
radiologists
 Hiroshima & Nagasaki atomic bomb
survivors
 ultraviolet radiation in sunlight –
especially for Caucasians or fair-
skinned individuals
 Viruses: Oncogenic viruses
 caused by RNA viruses (aka
retroviruses) & DNA viruses
 Human T-Lymphocytic Virus (HTLV) –
leukemia in adults
 Human Immune Deficiency Virus (HIV)
– Kaposi sarcoma associated with AIDS
 Papilloma virus – cervical CA
 Epstein Barr Virus (EBV) – Burkitt
lymphoma
1. Oncogene or CA causing gene
 a piece of DNA whose activation is
associated with the conversion of a
normal cell into a cancerous cell
 ras oncogene– colon cancer
 myc – lymphoma
 bcr-abl – chronic myelogenous
leukemia
 Heredity
 Susceptibility to some CA forms is
transmitted from parents to offspring
through defects in the DNA of the egg &
sperm cells
 tumors arise because of inherited or
acquired abnormalities in suppressor
genes (regulate growth, promote
differentiation, & suppress oncogenes
from causing cancer)
 ex.: retinoblastoma, polyposis coli
syndrome, & certain forms of colon,
breast, & kidney CA
 genetic screening – to determine presence
of cancer-causing gene