Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0025202 (melanoma)
 69,561 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

A 60-year-old man was admitted to the hospital with anterior chest discomfort and superior vena cava syndrome. A chest X-ray film revealed a right upper mediastinal mass. A needle biopsy was done. Anaplastic tumor cells was found after HE staining. No melanin was found and the origin of the tumor cells could not be determined. Radiation and chemotherapy caused the tumor to shrink markedly. Because the tumor had invaded the superior vena cava, only reduction surgery could be done. The patient died 6 months after admission. Amelanotic malignant melanoma was diagnosed after immunohistochemical study of the resected specimen. Mediastinal malignant melanoma has been reported very infrequently and to our knowledge this is the first report of mediastinal amelanotic malignant melanoma.
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PMID:[Mediastinal amelanotic melanoma presenting as superior vena cava syndrome]. 910 67

A case of primary and malignant melanoma of the esophagus was reported. A 64-year-old male complaining of discomfort of anterior chest pain was admitted to our hospital for operation. Findings of upper G-1 X-ray and endoscopic examination revealed suspiciously malignant melanoma. Subtotal thoracic esophagectomy with R III dissection was performed. Operative findings included A0 N2 Pl0 M0 Stage III. Macroscopically it showed black-grayish colored polypoid tumors, 7 cm in size. The typical finding of junctional activity adjacent to the tumor mass and melanocytes were microscopically found. The patient received postoperative systemic chemotherapy, but was died of multiple liver and bone metastases 125 days after surgery. Malignant melanoma of the esophagus has extremely poor prognosis and none of effective therapies has been reported.
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PMID:[A case of primary malignant melanoma of the esophagus]. 913 41

Between 1986 and 1993, 18 patients with complete or impending fractures of the humerus were treated using Hacketall rods in association with semi-liquid methylmetacrylate after excision of the metastatic lesion. Methylmetacrylate was always injected proximally and distally to the curetted bone through drill holes. Fourteen patients had a pathological fracture and four presented with an impending lesion. The mean age at time of surgery was 62 years (range: 42-83). The primary tumour was a breast carcinoma in 10 cases, bronchogenic squamous cell carcinoma in three cases and hypernephroma, multiple myeloma, malignant melanoma, rectal adenocarcinoma and unknown primary tumour in one case each. The left arm was involved in seven cases and the right in 11. All patients experienced immediate relief from the pre-operative pain, although three patients complained of a residual discomfort during motion. In these three cases the residual pain can easily be managed with use of oral non-morphinic drugs. The functional aspect was not evaluated in two patients who died in the early post-operative period as a result of their general condition. In 15 patients, the post-operative range of motion was at least 80% of a normal humerus mobility. One patient encountered motion limitation because of an important lymph oedema. There was no infection, one patient had a temporary radial palsy with a complete restoration after a period of 5 days. No migration of the material was observed during an average follow-up of 9 months (range: 1-24).
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PMID:Treatment of humeral pathological fractures by internal fixation and methylmetacrylate injection. 923 99

Bisphosphonates are used in oncology as a means of decreasing complications due to bone metastases, in association with anticancer treatment, especially in patients with breast cancer, prostate cancer and myeloma. Little is known about the effects of bisphosphonates on bone metastases from other tumors and in particular from tumors for which no effective treatment is available. We conducted a randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled trial of oral clodronate in patients with bone metastases from tumors poorly responsive to chemotherapy, with the aims of evaluating the effects of this drug on symptoms control and bone metastases evolution. Sixty-six patients with poorly responsive tumors such as non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), bladder cancer, gastrointestinal cancers, kidney cancer, melanoma and metastatic carcinoma of unknown origin entered the study. Patients were randomized to receive either clodronate 1,600 mg/day for one year or identical placebo-containing tablets. Various parameters such as Karnofsky performance status, pain score (measured by a visual-analogue scale) and analgesic requirement were recorded at monthly intervals. Of the 66 patients enrolled, 9 were observed for one month or less; 7 were followed for two months; only 50 patients were followed for more than 2 months and could be adequately evaluated. At 3 months both clodronate and placebo-treated patients had a decrease in Karnofsky performance status, with the decrease being more evident in the placebo group. Mean pain scores showed an increase of pain in patients receiving placebo and a decrease of pain in patients receiving clodronate, although the difference failed to be statistically significant. Analgesics requirement increased in both groups, but significantly more in patients receiving placebo (p = 0.042), in whom increase in opioid requirements was particularly evident. Toxicity was low, with occasional gastroenteric discomfort in both groups. The main problem of this study was the difficulty in recruiting an adequate number of patients and following them for a sufficient period of time: general conditions rapidly deteriorated in many patients, and approximately 25% of the 66 enrolled were not considered evaluable; few patients survived for the length of the study, one year. This might partly account for the lack of significance of some of the parameters under study. With these limits, oral clodronate demonstrated some efficacy in symptom control and in reducing the need for analgesics.
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PMID:A double blind randomized study of oral clodronate in the treatment of bone metastases from tumors poorly responsive to chemotherapy. 970 May 83

R24 is a monoclonal antibody that recognizes the disialoganglioside GD3 expressed on the surface of malignant melanoma cells. Once bound, it can mediate destruction of these cells through both complement-mediated lysis and antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity. Agents such as interleukin 2 (IL-2), which can augment effector cell function and promote destruction of antibody-coated tumor cells, might produce improved antitumor responses when combined with R24. In this series, we evaluated the combination of R24 and IL-2 in a Phase 1b study in patients with metastatic melanoma. Twenty-eight patients with metastatic melanoma were entered into the protocol at two institutions. Patients received 8 weeks of IL-2 by continuous i.v. infusion at a dose (4.5 x 10(5) Amgen units/m2/day) designed to selectively expand natural killer (NK) cells. In weeks 5 and 6, patients received R24 for a total of four doses. Twenty-four h after each R24 infusion, patients received a 2-h bolus dose of IL-2 to help promote activity of NK effectors against antibody-coated melanoma targets. Additional IL-2 boluses were administered in weeks 7 and 8. Doses were escalated through two bolus doses of R24 (5 or 15 mg/m2) and two bolus doses of IL-2 (2.5 or 5.0 x 10(5) units/m2). Although one patient experienced severe capillary leak syndrome during IL-2, therapy was otherwise well tolerated. At the higher dose level of R24, two of four patients experienced transient but severe abdominal and chest discomfort, necessitating dose reduction. One patient with ocular melanoma and liver metastases had a partial response. Two additional patients had minor responses. A dramatic increase in NK cell number was noted as a result of treatment, as was augmentation of cytolytic activity against cultured NK-sensitive targets. Antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity against cultured melanoma cells in the presence of exogenous R24 or in the presence of serum obtained from patients following R24 infusion also increased during treatment. Our experience indicates that R24 and low-dose IL-2 can be safely combined in patients with metastatic melanoma and that this combination can promote destruction of cultured melanoma cells. The clinical activity of this combination against ocular melanoma may merit further investigation.
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PMID:Administration of R24 monoclonal antibody and low-dose interleukin 2 for malignant melanoma. 981 32

Oral mucosal malignant melanoma is a rare disease. We reviewed 30 years of data from a tumor registry and identified 65 patients who had head and neck melanomas. Two thirds (43) of the 65 patients were identified as male, with the mean age in the sixth decade. Of the 65 patients, only 6 had melanoma that arose from the oropharyngeal mucosa. Of the lesions involving the oral mucosa, each lesion manifested itself as a mass or was associated with symptoms of discomfort; only one third (2) of the lesions were pigmented. The clinician must carefully examine the head, neck, and oral cavity, and any pigmented lesion that is not recognized as a specific entity, such as amalgam tattoo, should be biopsied. The more common presentation of amelanotic malignant melanoma requires a high index of suspicion for masses identified in the mouth and requires biopsy for definitive diagnosis. The prognosis for oral mucosal malignant melanoma is poor.
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PMID:Melanoma arising from the mucosal surfaces of the head and neck. 986 30

Electric pulses can cause transient permeabilization of cell membranes (electroporation) and this can be utilized to increase the uptake of chemotherapy (electrochemotherapy). Preclinical studies have shown that in vivo electroporation causes transient shut down of blood flow both in normal and, in particular, malignant tissues. We report the successful palliation of a malignant melanoma patient with bleeding skin metastases using electrochemotherapy. In an on-going study of combined electrochemotherapy and low dose interleukin-2, one patient with bleeding skin metastases was included. Nine skin metastases, of which seven were ulcerated, were treated. After intratumoral bleomycin injection, needle electrodes with two arrays 4 mm apart were inserted into the tumours. Eight square wave electric pulses each 99 micros in duration and with an applied voltage to electrode distance ratio of 1.2 kV/cm were administered. In all the treated lesions, bleeding immediately stopped on administration of the electric pulses and did not recur. The treated metastases developed crusts and the lesions healed in a matter of weeks. Treatments were given under local anaesthesia, lasted a few minutes, and patient discomfort was brief and modest. In conclusion, we propose that electrochemotherapy should be considered for the palliation of haemorrhaging metastases as it is an efficient, tolerable, brief, outpatient, once-only treatment.
Melanoma Res 2000 Dec
PMID:Efficient palliation of haemorrhaging malignant melanoma skin metastases by electrochemotherapy. 1119 81

A six-year-old intact male Pomeranian was examined because of right eye discomfort. An iris neoplasm was suspected and the eye was enucleated. A uveal melanoma with malignant features was diagnosed. The dog recovered uneventfully from surgery. A general physical examination was performed at 3-month intervals afterwards without any detectable problem, but 18 months after the first presentation the dog suffered a rapid, progressive paraplegia. Radiographic examination and myelography revealed a spinal cord compression at the level of the 8th thoracic (T8) vertebral body. Surgical exploration of the area revealed a potential vertebral neoplasm: histopathology confirmed a melanoma which was suspected to have resulted from metastasis from the previously diagnosed uveal melanoma.
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PMID:Suspected latent vertebral metastasis of uveal melanoma in a dog: a case report. 1139 23

Laparoscopic liver resection has not yet been established, although recent reports document that liver resection can be performed safely by the laparoscopic approach. Other interventional procedures like cryoablation have also been introduced in treatment of liver metastases. In this report 11 liver resections performed laparoscopically in eight patients are presented. Six patients had colorectal metastases, one a metastases from a malignant melanoma, and one patient had focal nodular hyperplasia. Two patients received synchronous cryoablation of remaining liver metastases. During follow up, two patients received percutaneous cryoablation of liver recurrences monitored by an open configuration magnetic resonance scanner. All except one of the tumors we attempted to remove had free resection margins (re-resection of new metastasis). No complications occurred except an atelectasis of the left lower pulmonary lobe in one patient. Median postoperative hospital stay was 3 days, and median postoperative opioid-dependent days was 1. The report demonstrates that minimally invasive techniques may safely be combined in hepatic intervention, and that the advantages of minimally invasive surgery, such as reduced hospital stay and less patient discomfort, also applies to liver resections.
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PMID:Liver tumors and minimally invasive surgery: a feasibility study. 1144 89

Cutaneous melanoma is one of the most rapidly increasing cancers in the United States. Because of the lack of effective treatment options and toxicities of most chemotherapeutic and radiation regimes, immunotherapies such as vaccination therapy represent an attractive approach for patients with advanced melanoma. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the response rate, time to progression, and survival of patients with metastatic melanoma treated by direct intratumoral injection with Allovectin-7 (a plasmid DNA encoding the genes HLA-B7 and beta2-microglobulin complexed with a cationic lipid mixture, DMRIE/DOPE. Fifty-two patients with metastatic melanoma were enrolled in this Phase II study. Therapy consisted of six intratumoral injections of 10 microg of Allovectin-7 over a 9-week period. Treatment was well tolerated. Treatment-related adverse events were mild to moderate, the most frequent of which were ecchymosis, pruritus (and/or discomfort at the injection site), and pneumothoraces. Regression of the injected lesion was observed in 18% of patients, including one complete response, three partial responses, and five minor responses. An overall response rate of 4% (two partial responses) was documented, and nine patients (18%) maintained stable disease for at least 11 weeks. Six patients remained alive 25.1 to 39.4 months from their first injection, including two patients with local (injected tumor) responses and one patient with an overall disease partial response. This study demonstrates that intratumoral administration of Allovectin-7 in metastatic melanoma is safe and can produce both responses in injected lesions and in overall disease. Clinical trials optimizing patient selection and combining Allovectin-7 with other modalities of therapy are currently ongoing in an effort to improve response rates.
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PMID:Phase II study of direct intralesional gene transfer of allovectin-7, an HLA-B7/beta2-microglobulin DNA-liposome complex, in patients with metastatic melanoma. 1148 3


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