Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0026764 (multiple myeloma)
 36,148 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

In summary, carcinoma is the most frequent cancer that metastasizes to the skin; lung cancer in men and breast cancer in women. Clinically distinctive patterns of cutaneous metastasis of epithelial origin include alopecia neoplastica, pulsatile nodules, Sister Mary Joseph's nodules, morpheaform, and cellulitis-like lesions. Biopsying these lesions reveals adenocarcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, or anaplastic carcinoma. The type of histologic pattern seen can be a clue to the organ of origin giving rise to the cutaneous metastasis. Skin that is damaged allows for circulating malignant cells, often of epithelial or leukemic origin, to lodge and proliferate locally (inflammatory oncotaxis). The commonest form of leukemia to affect the skin of elderly males is chronic lymphocytic leukemia. However, when leukemia involves the mucous membranes, acute myeloid leukemia (acute monocytic and acute myelomonocytic leukemia) is the most likely diagnosis. When papules, nodules, or plaques develop on the head, neck, or torso in a middle-aged male accompanied by lymphadenopathy, there must be a high index of suspicion that these lesions are metastatic lymphomatous deposits. Definitive histologic diagnosis on a skin biopsy specimen is difficult. In this situation, it is best to rely on histologic patterns seen in lymphoid tissue along with cellular marker studies. An elderly patient having bone pain, anemia, elevated blood calcium level, and renal failure along with purplish or skin-colored nodules and plaques on the trunk has a good chance of having multiple myeloma. Biopsying these lesions is most certain to reveal atypical plasma cells, and blood immunoelectrophoresis will demonstrate characteristic monoclonal gammopathy. There are two malignancies seen in children under 3 years of age that often times affect the skin in a characteristic fashion. Letterer-Siwe disease, which is distinguished from other histocytic disorders by its cell of origin, the Langerhans cell, clinically shows maculopapular and erosive lesions distributed in a seborrheic pattern. Neuroblastoma derived from cells of the neural crest demonstrates clinically widespread bluish papulonodules. Kaposi's sarcoma, a multifocal vascular malignancy, has a wide spectrum of clinical expression. Those patients who are immunocompromised secondary to concomitant disease or immunosuppressive therapy are more susceptible to a disseminated fulminant course accompanied by opportunistic infection. In conclusion, although specific signs of internal malignancy are less common than nonspecific ones, they are just as important; if the clinician managing the cancer patient is familiar with these clues to internal disease, proper patient management will ensue.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
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PMID:Specific cutaneous manifestations of internal malignancy. 307 47

Thalidomide has previously been shown to have anti-angiogenic properties. More recently, clinical efficacy of this agent has been demonstrated in multiple myeloma and prostate cancer. Neuroblastoma is the most frequent solid tumor of the abdomen of childhood, yet children with this disease frequently have metastases at presentation. Such patients have a very poor prognosis with current therapies. Thus, new approaches are needed. We have previously shown that VEGF antagonists can inhibit neoangiogenesis and tumor growth in experimental neuroblastoma. In this study, we investigated the anti-angiogenic and anti-tumor properties of thalidomide in a xenograft model of human neuroblastoma. Tumors were induced in athymic mice using the human neuroblastoma cell line NGP. Intraperitoneal thalidomide (100 mg/kg/dose) or vehicle was administered beginning one week after implantation, and animals euthanized at six weeks. Thalidomide treatment did not significantly alter tumor growth as compared with controls. However, thalidomide suppressed angiogenesis, as demonstrated both by fluorescein angiography and immunohistochemical staining, and induced apoptosis of endothelial cells in neuroblastoma xenografts. Quantification of microvessel density demonstrated a significant reduction of vasculature in treated tumors (p<0.004). Thalidomide induced co-option of host vasculature, an effect noted previously after VEGF blockade. This study demonstrates that thalidomide has anti-angiogenic properties in experimental neuroblastoma.
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PMID:Thalidomide is anti-angiogenic in a xenograft model of neuroblastoma. 1461 37

Betulin is a pentacyclic triterpene found in many plant species, among others, in white birch bark. The aim of the study was in vitro characterization of the anticancer activity of betulin in a range of human tumour cell lines (neuroblastoma, rhabdomyosarcoma-medulloblastoma, glioma, thyroid, breast, lung and colon carcinoma, leukaemia and multiple myeloma), and in primary tumour cultures isolated from patients (ovarian carcinoma, cervical carcinoma and glioblastoma multiforme). In this study, we demonstrated a remarkable anti-proliferative effect of betulin in all tested tumour cell cultures. Neuroblastoma (SK-N-AS) and colon carcinoma (HT-29) were the most sensitive to the anti-proliferative effect of betulin. Furthermore, betulin altered tumour cells morphology, decreased their motility and induced apoptotic cell death. These findings demonstrate the anti-cancer potential of betulin and suggest that they may be applied as an adjunctive measure in cancer treatment.
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PMID:Betulin elicits anti-cancer effects in tumour primary cultures and cell lines in vitro. 1982 31

Flubendazole was shown to exert anti-leukaemia and anti-myeloma activity through inhibition of microtubule function. Here, flubendazole was tested for its effects on the viability of in total 461 cancer cell lines. Neuroblastoma was identified as highly flubendazole-sensitive cancer entity in a screen of 321 cell lines from 26 cancer entities. Flubendazole also reduced the viability of five primary neuroblastoma samples in nanomolar concentrations thought to be achievable in humans and inhibited vessel formation and neuroblastoma tumour growth in the chick chorioallantoic membrane assay. Resistance acquisition is a major problem in high-risk neuroblastoma. 119 cell lines from a panel of 140 neuroblastoma cell lines with acquired resistance to various anti-cancer drugs were sensitive to flubendazole in nanomolar concentrations. Tubulin-binding agent-resistant cell lines displayed the highest flubendazole IC50 and IC90 values but differences between drug classes did not reach statistical significance. Flubendazole induced p53-mediated apoptosis. The siRNA-mediated depletion of the p53 targets p21, BAX, or PUMA reduced the neuroblastoma cell sensitivity to flubendazole with PUMA depletion resulting in the most pronounced effects. The MDM2 inhibitor and p53 activator nutlin-3 increased flubendazole efficacy while RNAi-mediated p53-depletion reduced its activity. In conclusion, flubendazole represents a potential treatment option for neuroblastoma including therapy-refractory cells.
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PMID:Identification of flubendazole as potential anti-neuroblastoma compound in a large cell line screen. 2564 37