Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0007095 (carcinoid)
 6,990 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The interferons are the first of a new class of biologic response modifiers that include, among others, the interleukins, colony-stimulating factors, erythropoietin, additional growth factors, and monoclonal antibodies. Interferons have exhibited important clinical activity in hematologic malignancies, lymphomas, and solid tumors. Specific diseases responding to interferons include hairy-cell leukemia (HCL), chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), low-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, multiple myeloma, superficial bladder carcinoma, malignant carcinoid, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)-related Kaposi's sarcoma, ovarian carcinoma, renal cell carcinoma, and malignant melanoma. The potentially antigenic nature of the recombinant interferons can result in the formation of antibodies. These antibodies have been associated with the abrogation of some of the clinical responsiveness of some patients treated with interferons. It is hoped that the controversy existing over the role of antibody formation in treatment efficacy can be resolved by prospective trials using standardized methodology in such areas as assay type, sampling time, route of drug administration, treatment schedule, cumulative dose, and duration of treatment.
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PMID:Biotherapy in clinical practice. 247 4

One important side effect from alpha interferon is depression of bone marrow function and studies have shown that patients with carcinoid tumours treated with alpha interferon suffers from fatigue and impaired physical functions. The aim of this pilot study was to investigate if treatment with erythropoietin (EPO) could have a positive effect on self-rated quality of life (QoL). Eighteen patients with midgut carcinoid treated with alpha interferon were included in the study. There were statistical significant increases in haemoglobin (Hb) levels between baseline and 4 months, between baseline and 8 months as well as between baseline and 2-year follow-up. No EPO related side effects were reported. There were improvements of more than 10 points in self-rated QoL-issues related to anaemia. Even though the analysis did not reveal any statistically significant relation between the observed increase in Hb levels and self-rated QoL, this pilot study has increased the knowledge about benefits, doses and frequency of EPO treatment in patients with midgut carcinoid suffering from interferon related anaemia.
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PMID:Anemia in patients with midgut carcinoid, treated with alpha interferon: effects by erythropoietin treatment on the perceived quality of life. 1830 58

Acquired pure red-cell aplasia (PRCA) is an uncommon disorder of erythrocytopoiesis that can develop in association with thymic tumors. We present the very rare case of a severely anemic 62-year-old man with PRCA and a concurrent neuroendocrine carcinoid tumor of the thymus. The anterior mediastinal thymus tumor was completely excised, and following histological and immunohistochemical analyses (showing positive staining for cytokeratin, chromogranin A, synaptophysin, and neuron-specific enolase) the diagnosis of a (grade I; T(1)N(0)M(0)) typical carcinoid tumor of the thymus was made. Postoperatively the anemia persisted despite no signs of residual tumor on CT chest. A hematological work up found: normocellularity with <0.5% erythroblasts and preserved megakaryocytopoiesis and granulocytopoiesis in a trephine biopsy; reduced numbers of Colony Forming Unit Erythroid (CFU-E) and normal numbers of Burst-Forming Unit Erythroid (BFU-E) in bone marrow colony-forming assays; a markedly increased level of serum erythropoietin; normal T and B-cell numbers with a normal CD4/CD8 ratio; and no clonal T-cell receptor -gamma and -delta gene rearrangement) The patient responded favorably to a therapeutic trial of glucocorticoid immunosuppressive treatment (prednisone 1 mg/kg/day) with a normalization of the reticulocyte count and hematocrit, suggesting an immunologic mechanism for the PRCA. Though the exact mechanisms underlying the association between the PRCA and the carcinoid tumor of the thymus remain unknown.
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PMID:Pure red-cell aplasia as the presenting feature of the carcionoid tumor of the thymus: case report. 1922 8