Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0019209 (hepatomegaly)
 5,798 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

This radomized double-blind study was designed to compare the therapeutic effectiveness of the oral and i.v. routes for 5-FU administered in intensive courses to 100 patients with metastatic adenocarcinoma of the large bowel, treated to equivalent levels of toxicity. An oral dose of 20 mg/kg day times 5 was found to produce comparable G.I., mucocutaneous, and hematologic side effects to a dose of 13.5 mg/kg day times 5 by rapid i.v. injection. Courses were repeated at 5 weeks. Nine of 47, or 19.1%, treated by the oral route have shown objective response, compared to 14 of 53, or 26%, treated by the i.v. route. If malignant hepatomegaly is considered alone, the response rates are 8 of 23, or 34.8%, by the oral route, and 7 of 22, or 31.8%, by the i.v. route. The mean duration of response for the oral group, 11.1 weeks, was shorter than for the i.v. route, 20 weeks, a statistically significant (p less than 0.02) difference. Serial serum 5-FU levels after two doses of 5-FU were determined by microbiological assay in 19 patients. For i.v. administration the curves were comparable among different patients as well as in the same patient. There was striking variability, however, for oral administration.
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PMID:A double-blind comparison of intensive course 5-flourouracil by oral vs. intravenous route in the treatment of colorectal carcinoma. 109 Mar 58

A prospective study of 149 patients suffering from adenocarcinoma of unknown primary site (ACUPS) of bone was carried out. The tumors are classified as 63 extraspinal, 67 spinal and 19 mixed involvement. Upon meticulous physical examination, Virchow's node was detected in 15 cases, rectal shelf in 11 cases and hepatomegaly in 44 cases. Blood chemistry showed elevation of alkaline phosphatase (> 3 sigma units) in 98 cases and chest roentgenogram showed pulmonary lesions in 23 cases. Treatment was surgery and radiotherapy in 64 and two cases respectively. In all of these patients histological findings of the biopsy or resection specimen had confirmed the diagnosis of adenocarcinoma. Among 124 evaluable patients, overall survival was analysed using Kaplan-Meier life table analysis. Survival rates at one, two and four months after diagnosis were 80.7, 60.5 and 25 per cent with a mean and median survival times of 90 and 77 days respectively. Statistical analysis was also performed to ascertain the prognostic importance of the following variables: age, gender, Virchow's node, rectal shelf, hepatomegaly, serum alkaline phosphatase, pulmonary lesion, and multiplicity and site of the osseous lesions. The presence of pulmonary lesion or hepatomegaly significantly produced unfavorable impact on the duration of survival (p = 0.0004 and 0.0150, respectively) while other remaining factors had not.
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PMID:Osseous adenocarcinoma of unknown primary site: study of survival and prognostic factors. 130 19

Herein we describe the isolation, physicochemical characterization and preclinical evaluation of a water-soluble biologic response modifier extracted from Sclerotium glucanicum. Alkaline extraction of insoluble S. glucanicum exopolymers produced a soluble scleroglucan composed of a triple-helical beta-1,3-linked glucopyranose backbone with single beta-1,6-linked glucopyranosyl branches every third subunit. Scleroglucan has a weight average molecular mass of 1.56 x 10(6) Da, a weight average root mean square distance from the center of gravity of the molecule to its farthest elements of 51.8 nm, a polydispersity (weight-average molecular mass/number average molecular mass) of 1.83 and intrinsic viscosity of 3.081 dl/g. Scleroglucan (250 mg/kg, intravenously) stimulated in vivo murine macrophage phagocytic activity (66%, P less than .001) and increased in vitro macrophage tumor cytotoxicity against syngeneic tumor targets by 124% (P less than .05). Scleroglucan enhanced (P less than .001) murine bone marrow proliferation in a biphasic manner by up to 328%. Scleroglucan therapy increased survival of mice challenged with syngeneic lymphoma, melanoma or adenocarcinoma. AKR/J mice bearing syngeneic lymphoma (1 x 10(3) cells, intraperitoneally) demonstrated increased (P less than .001) long-term survival (100% vs. 0%, greater than 64 days). C57Bl/6J mice bearing syngeneic melanoma B16 (5 x 10(5) cells, subcutaneously) demonstrated increased long-term survival (64% vs. 0%, P less than .05). C57Bl/6J mice bearing syngeneic adenocarcinoma BW10232 (1 x 10(5) cells, subcutaneously) demonstrated increased (P less than .05) median survival time. In addition, scleroglucan prophylaxis increased resistance of mice to challenge with Staphylococcus aureus, Candida albicans and mouse hepatitis virus A-59. Scleroglucan did not induce toxicity or hepatomegaly. We conclude that: 1) a branched, water-soluble beta-1,3-linked scleroglucan biologic response modifier can be extracted from S. glucanicum; 2) scleroglucan will stimulate immunity, modify experimental neoplastic disease and increase resistance to microbial challenge; and 3) scleroglucan shows promise as an immunopotentiating drug.
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PMID:Isolation, physicochemical characterization and preclinical efficacy evaluation of soluble scleroglucan. 190 59

Severe cachexia of extremely rapid onset typifies the young Black African patient with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In order to assess whether this is a consequence of tumor-associated increases in protein metabolism or simply due to inadequate dietary intake, the following study was undertaken. The technique of constant i.v. infusion of 14C-labeled leucine was used to measure whole body protein flux, breakdown, synthesis, and oxidation rates in 8 adults with HCC, 4 patients with massive hepatomegaly due to metastatic adenocarcinoma from bowel, 6 patients with chronic liver disease, and 10 controls. Endogenous protein breakdown and oxidation were similar between patients with chronic liver disease (breakdown, 4.4 +/- 1.2 g/kg/day; oxidation, 0.8 +/- 0.4 g/kg/day) and controls but were significantly (P less than 0.002) higher in patients with liver tumors, the highest rates being observed in those with HCC (breakdown, 8.5 +/- 4.3 g/kg/day; oxidation, 1.4 +/- 0.5 g/kg/day). Protein turnover was generally higher in the HCC group, with increased rates of reincorporation of amino acids into protein synthesis (P less than 0.05). In one HCC patient a synchronized diagnostic liver biopsy demonstrated high fractional synthesis of rates of HCC proteins of 86%/day. In addition, the incorporation rates of labeled amino acid into fibrinogen, immunoglobulin G, and transferrin were also highest (P less than 0.03) in HCC patients. In order to assess the relative importance of diet in weight loss, dietary intake levels were assessed from hospital records of HCC patients and by dietary recall during the week prior to study. Intakes ranged from 30 to 70% of calculated requirement levels. In conclusion, our results suggest that the rapid wasting seen in patients with HCC is due to an imbalance between the metabolic demands, which can be elevated in some patients, and inadequate dietary replenishment.
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PMID:Contribution of elevated protein turnover and anorexia to cachexia in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. 215 53

Primary bile duct carcinoma is a malignancy with a poor prognosis, but recent diagnostic developments allow earlier detection and possibly improved chances for effective palliation or surgical cure. In order to increase the clinical understanding and awareness of this disorder, 43 patients with primary adenocarcinoma of the bile ducts were reviewed. The mean patient age was 63, and symptoms of nausea, abdominal pain, and pruritus were reported in a majority of patients. Documented weight loss, alcoholic stools, cutaneous icterus, and hepatomegaly were each present in a majority of patients. Serum bilirubin and alkaline phosphatase determinations were abnormal in 40 of 43 patients (93%), and cholangiography was the diagnostic study providing the most discriminating information. Locally invasive disease and biliary obstruction was the major cause of morbidity and mortality, and there was only one surgical cure. These data suggest that cholangiography and nonsurgical techniques for biliary drainage should be employed in most patients who are not optimal surgical candidates.
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PMID:Primary adenocarcinoma of the bile ducts. Clinical characteristics and natural history. 352 44

Some forms of glycogen storage disease (GSD) primarily affect the liver, including types I, III, IV, VI, IX and 0. Scanning with Tc-99m sulfur colloid, while not being specific, does reveal some characteristic features. Most experience is with scanning in type I disease, though there are few reports in the literature. Six patients with type I, type III, type IV, and probably type VI disease are presented in this report. GSD should be considered in infants and young children presenting with hepatomegaly and abnormal liver-spleen scans. Sequential imaging is useful in following these patients. When focal defects are present, long term follow-up is indicated to detect hepatocellular adenocarcinoma.
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PMID:Liver-spleen scintigraphy in glycogen storage disease (glycogenoses). 386 55

Clinical features of severe opisthorchiasis were studied in 88 patients. The ratio of males to females was 6.3 : 1; 75% were over 40 years old. The presenting symptoms were obstructive jaundice, 25% associated with secondary infection of biliary system; cholangitis and cholecystitis; intraabdominal mass, which was enlarged liver; 18% had palpable gallbladder; 18% had adenocarcinoma of the bile duct. High bilirubin was found in 46% of cases, high alkaline phosphatase in 80%; elevation of serum transaminase in 78% and low serum albumin in 62% of patients. There was no correlation between severity of the disease and the faecal egg output. The obstructive jaundice patients had low or no egg output. Two patients had no eggs in stool, but numerous Opisthorchis viverrini eggs and flukes were found in the gallbladder and bile ducts at operation.
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PMID:Clinical features in severe opisthorchiasis viverrini. 409 5

There are various functioning tumors in human organs and sometimes it is very difficult to make a diagnosis in the early stage of the disease. Functioning tumors of the lung which produce alkaline phosphatase can be divided into two groups, the Regan type and the non Regan type. Our patient showed a high blood level of alkaline phosphatase without hepatic functioning abnormality and hepatomegaly. Nevertheless, we concluded that this alkaline phosphatase was isoenzymatically of hepatic origin. The type of alkaline phosphatase was very similar to that of Sella's lung cancer patient. Autopsy of our patient revealed moderately differentiated lung adenocarcinoma similar to Sella's report, suggesting that the alkaline phosphatase was of the non-Regan type.
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PMID:[Functioning tumor of lung, producing non-Regan type of alkaline phosphatase]. 647

Cancer cachexia contributes to the demise of a significant number of cancer patients, and severe loss of adipose tissue is a prominent component of this syndrome. One of the products of fat catabolism is glycerol, and its turnover is elevated in the cancerous state. Since glycerol is also one of the most important gluconeogenic substrates, its role in the augmented and abnormal gluconeogenesis of cancer hosts needs to be defined. In the present study, we examined hepatic glycerol metabolism in livers of Fischer 344 rats bearing s.c. nonmetastatic adenocarcinoma R3230AC. Five weeks after tumor inoculation, the liver was removed and perfused with 5 mM [2-13C]glycerol while 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy was performed. In the livers of tumorous rats, we found: (a) lipogenesis from glycerol was augmented; (b) the rate of hepatic glycerol uptake was unchanged; (c) glucose production from glycerol was not altered; and (d) conversion of glycerol 3-phosphate to dihydroxyacetone phosphate remains the rate-limiting step. Therefore, it appears that, in cancer hosts, diminished glycerol clearance is not due to reduction in hepatic glycerol uptake or metabolism, and the abnormal gluconeogenesis involves the pathway prior to the entry of glycerol. The exaggerated lipolysis is probably used for the pathological hepatomegaly, and the availability of the cytosolic hydrogen acceptor remains the rate-limiting factor for glycerol metabolism.
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PMID:Hepatic glycerol metabolism in tumorous rats: a 13C nuclear magnetic resonance study. 785 Jul 86

The cholangiocarcinoma is a low-prevalence neoplasia, but represents a great medical challenge in its diagnosis and treatment because of its insidious clinical manifestations. Its cellular origin has been associated to other hepatic tumors, and to multiple congenital or acquired factors (infections, drugs and other diseases). The most frequent histological type is the adenocarcinoma and the most common localization is the choledochal duct; local metastases are frequently found in autopsies. The usual clinical findings are pruritus, weight loss, anorexia, jaundice and hepatomegaly. The immunohistochemical advances related to oncogenes (ras & C-erb B-1) and tumor markers (Epidermal Growth Factor and Integrin among others) allow to make differential diagnosis with other hepatic cancers and will provide valuable information about its cell biology. The initial approach to patients with this disease is made by ultrasound (US), which can be associate to Doppler; Computed Axial Tomography and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance have similar sensitivity and specificity, so they are preferred to US in the elderly with history of weight loss. It's better to perform Percutaneous Transhepatic Cholangiography than Endoscopic Retrogrado Pancreatocholangiography when its possible because the first permits a comprehensive visualization of the biliary tree. The treatment includes resection and endoprosthesis placement. The combination of surgery, Chemotherapy and Radiotherapy allows to achieve the best survival rates, and opens a door to new strategies related to this malignancy.
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PMID:[Cholangiocarcinoma]. 856 79


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