Morphology of Chemical Immunosuppression

Abstract

Publisher Summary The violation of the integrity of the human or animal body by foreign substances of a certain nature is followed by a specific reaction of the injured body called an “immune reaction.” Immunosuppressive agents and cancer chemotherapeutic agents, in general, are synonymous— that is, the therapist must expect immunosuppressive effects when cancer chemotherapeutic drugs are used. This chapter discusses the morphology of chemical immunosuppression. Anatomical studies of immunocompetent tissues provide information about the potential interference of drugs with humoral or cellular immune responses, about the ability of these tissues to recover, and also about the risk of tumor development in these tissues; the last two subjects pertain mainly to long-term investigations. In this chapter, focus is on the morphological lesions caused by immunosuppressive chemicals to familiarize the nonpathologist investigator of cancer and immunosuppressive therapy with this valuable tool of research. The light microscope can provide all information about investigations that are suggested in the chapter.