Purchase Solution

Immune surveillance and cancer

Not what you're looking for?

Ask Custom Question

How does immune surveillance explain the incidence of cancer? What evidence supports this theory and what evidence does not?

Purchase this Solution
Solution Summary

This solution details how the immune system acts as a surveillance mechanism against tumor development. It explains the evidence for and against the idea that there is immune surveillance against cancer.

Solution Preview

Immune surveillance is based on the idea that the immune system constantly monitors the cells of the body and eliminates any cell type that undergoes transformation into a cancer cell. This would explain why the majority of healthy people do not develop cancer, but cancer is more common in patients with suppressed ...

Purchase this Solution
Free BrainMass Quizzes
Basic Concepts in Neuroscience

This quiz provides a review of the basic concepts in neuroscience.

BIOLOGY

Basics in biology

Pregnancy Knowledge

How much do you know about being pregnant? Test your Pregnancy IQ with this quiz!

BioChemistry Basics

This Quiz will test your knowledge of the amino acids used in biological systems

Basic Immunology Quiz

Intro to immuno quiz. Covers the basics of immunology and recognition of foreign substances by the body.

View More Free Quizzes
Related BrainMass Solutions

  • tumors subvert immune surveillance

    269237 tumors subvert immune surveillance Describe the mechanisms by which tumors subvert immune surveillance. Hello This is a rather large topic that one could discuss indefinitely...

  • Environmental Hazards: Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)

    PCBs have been shown to cause cancer in animals. PCBs also have caused a number of non-cancer health-related effects in animals, including effects on the immune system, reproductive system, nervous system, endocrine system, and other health effects.

  • Microbiology Formation of Bacterial Endospores

    How is surveillance of the tissues carried out? ?What is responsible for it? ?What does the term nonself mean in reference to the immune system? Tissue is surveillance is carried out by immune cells like T cells.

  • Possible Causes & Treatments for Cancer

    Failure of immune surveillance, a theory in which the immune system removes malignant cells throughout one's life. Abnormal growth factor signaling in the interaction between stromal cells and epithelial cells can facilitate malignant cell growth.

  • cancer therapies

    These agents target key immune system cells and cause secondary responses such as increased production of cytokines and immunoglobulins. ? Cancer vaccines can also be used to treat cancer.

  • Manipulating the Immune System To Eliminate Cancer Cells Better

    There are a few ways an adenovirus can help the immune system seek and destroy cancer cells.

  • Biotherapy as a treatment for cancer:

    Biotherapy is a type of treatment meant to boost or restore the ability of the immune system to fight cancer, infections, and other diseases.

  • Monoclonal Antibodies

    In antibody therapy, the immune system does not take an "active" role in fighting the cancer, so it is suitable to use even in patients with a weakened immune system.

  • The link between stress and disease

    According to the National Cancer Institute who cites the studies that show that stress factors can alter the way the immune system works, there is no scienctific evidence of a direct cause and effect relationship between immune system changes and cancer

View More Related Solutions