Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0027627 (metastases)
 103,950 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Eighty-one cases of conjunctival melanoma treated between 1960 and 1988 were studied to determine factors that might affect outcome in patients with such lesions. The therapeutic procedures performed were local excision (16), local excision followed by brachytherapy with Sr-90/Y-90 (32), local excision followed by cryotherapy with liquid nitrogen (16), brachytherapy with Sr-90/Y-90 (12), local excision followed by external beam irradiation (3), and local excision followed by brachytherapy and cryotherapy (2). The median follow-up period was 5.5 years (longest 26, shortest 1 year). Sixty two patients (76.5%) showed a complete regression of the melanoma, 19 (23.5%) developed recurrences, and 15 (18.5%) died from metastases. The melanomas had developed with almost equal frequency from a pre-existing naevus (25.9%), from primary acquired melanosis (25.9%), and 'de novo' (30.9%). Small tumours had a higher chance of regressing (80.6%) than larger ones (68.6%). The cumulative survival rate was 76% after five years and 60% after 10 years from any causes of death and 87.6% after five years and 76.3% after 10 years from deaths caused by metastases. Most deaths from metastases occurred within 5 years. At 88.5%, the cumulative survival rate of patients with small tumours (less than one quadrant of the bulbar conjunctiva and less than 2 mm thickness) was significantly higher than that of patients with larger tumours (more than one quadrant of the bulbar conjunctiva and/or more than 2 mm thickness) with 65% after eight years. Local excision followed by beta ray irradiation (Sr-90/Y-90) or cryotherapy can be recommended as the treatment of choice. Nevertheless the behaviour of conjunctival melanomas remains unpredictable in individual cases.
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PMID:Therapeutic outcome of patients suffering from malignant melanomas of the conjunctiva. 228 86

The functional properties of the melanoma-associated antigens detected by monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) AMF-6 and AMF-7 were investigated. These MAbs were selected previously because of their capacity to block the anti-melanoma reactivity of cytotoxic T-lymphocyte clones AMF-6 and AMF-7 detect a melanoma-associated proteoglycan (MW greater than 450-250 kDa) and a molecular complex, which under reducing conditions consists of 4 compounds of 120, 95, 29 and 25 kDa respectively. AMF-6 reacted strongly with all 30 cultured melanomas and all 41 melanomas in frozen tissue sections. Significant cross-reactivity was only observed with nevi and perineurium, whereas normal skin melanocytes were negative. AMF-7 reacted with all 25 cultured melanomas and all 34 melanomas in frozen sections. AMF-7 cross-reacted with a proportion of nevi and endothelial cells from small vessels. The antigen detected by AMF-6 and AMF-7 could not be modulated by retinoic acid or recombinant gamma-IFN, which induced or enhanced the expression of HLA-DR, HLA-DQ and Class-I MHC antigens. In addition, the antigens were not readily modulated when cells were incubated in excess amounts of AMF-6 and AMF-7. Interestingly, the antigen detected by AMF-7 was strongly associated with the adhesion and cytoplasmic spreading of melanoma cells to plastic surfaces and monolayers of vascular endothelial cells. AMF-6 did not block the adhesion of melanoma cells but delayed cytoplasmic spreading. Both AMF-6 and AMF-7 blocked fibronectin-induced chemotaxic motility and chemokinesis of melanoma cells. In addition to their membrane localization, the antigens detected by AMF-6 and AMF-7 were also abundant in extracellular adhesion plaques deposited by cultured melanoma cells. Our results indicate that the high-MW melanoma-associated proteoglycan and the antigen detected by AMF-7 are associated with adhesion and/or cytoplasmic spreading and motility of human melanoma cells, suggesting that these antigens are associated with the (hematogenic) dissemination of human melanoma. This is supported by the finding that AMF-7 stained primary tumors heterogeneously, whereas metastases were homogeneously stained.
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PMID:Characterization of melanoma-associated surface antigens involved in the adhesion and motility of human melanoma cells. 242 58

Hyaline globular inclusions were found in a case of malignant melanoma. The globules were both intracellular and extracellular in the primary neoplasm and in metastases to lymph nodes, liver, and lung. They were studied immunohistochemically and were found to contain fibronectin, a glycoprotein of high molecular weight. Ultrastructurally, the globules were composed of electron-dense, finely fibrillar aggregates. It is suggested that the neoplastic cells produced the fibronectin, which accumulated in globular form. Ten additional cases of malignant melanoma were studied; none of these had hyaline globules or intracellular globular fibronectin. The globules were compared to similar structures described in Spitz's nevi and other neoplasms. Immunohistochemical analysis was most useful in distinguishing the globules found in the malignant melanoma from those found in other conditions.
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PMID:Fibronectin-containing hyaline globules in malignant melanoma. 248 47

Basement membranes found around tumor cells in nevocytic nevi, Spitz's nevi, and malignant melanomas were analyzed by electron microscopy and antibody staining for several basement membrane proteins. Nevocytic nevi and Spitz's nevi showed a distinct, occasionally discontinuous lamina densa regardless of whether they were located in junctional zones of the epidermis or within the dermis. All basement membranes around nests of aggregated nevus cells, however, lacked anchoring fibrils. This correlated with the absence of type VII collagen. In contrast, type IV collagen, laminin, and nidogen were present at the periphery of the nevus cell clusters in agreement with the presence of an intact lamina densa. Aggregated tumor cells in malignant melanomas were bordered by a lamina densa when located in a junctional position and lacked this structure when they had migrated into the dermis. This process was accompanied by a drastically reduced staining for collagen type IV and nidogen, whereas laminin was still detectable. Anchoring fibrils and their molecular correlate, type VII collagen, were consistently absent. These observations demonstrate major alterations in the composition of basement membranes around malignant melanomas, which can be an important factor for the invasive growth and formation of metastases of these tumors.
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PMID:Structure of basement membranes in malignant melanoma and nevocytic nevi. 249 91

The MUC18 antigen is an integral membrane glycoprotein of 113 kDa whose expression on primary human melanomas correlates with poor prognosis and the development of metastatic disease. MUC18 is expressed only sporadically in benign melanocytic nevi and thin primary melanomas that have a low probability of metastasizing. However, with increasing tumor thickness, MUC18 expression becomes more frequent and it is found on 80% of advanced primary tumors and metastases. MUC18-encoding cDNA clones were obtained by screening a human melanoma phage lambda expression library with monoclonal antibodies produced against the denatured antigen. The deduced sequence of 603 amino acids consists of a signal peptide, five immunoglobulin-like domains, a transmembrane region, and a short cytoplasmic tail. The highest sequence similarity is with a group of nervous system cell adhesion molecules, which includes neural cell adhesion molecule (N-CAM). The close structural relationship with these molecules suggests that MUC18 may also be a developmentally regulated cell adhesion molecule.
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PMID:MUC18, a marker of tumor progression in human melanoma, shows sequence similarity to the neural cell adhesion molecules of the immunoglobulin superfamily. 260 81

The electro-oculogram (EOG) in the 64 patients with a melanoma of the choroid or ciliary body was compared to the EOG in 11 patients with choroidal metastasis, 11 patients with choroidal naevi and 27 patients with a rhegmatogenous retinal detachment. Using the Dt and the Lp/Dt-ratio, 87.5% of the melanomas could be diagnosed correctly whereas choroidal naevus and retinal detachment were diagnosed correctly in 72.7% and 70.4% of the cases respectively. Choroidal metastases never were classified correctly. Accompanying retinal detachment, tumour volume or a break through Bruch's membrane had no influence on the EOG in the melanoma patients. An important advantage of the method is that it can be used irrespective of the condition of the other eye. Combined with ophthalmoscopy, ultrasonography and fluorescein-angiography the EOG can be an additional aid in the differential diagnosis of malignant melanoma of the choroid and ciliary body.
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PMID:The electro-oculogram as an aid in the diagnosis of uveal melanoma. 262 78

Expression of beta 2 microglobulin (beta 2M), a light chain of class 1 HLA antigen, was studied in normal melanocytes and in benign and malignant melanocytic tumors by use of immunohistochemical methods. By immunoelectron microscopy, normal melanocytes were shown to express beta 2M on the cell surface. In lentigo maligna melanomas and acral lentiginous melanomas, the mean percentages of beta 2M-positive tumor cells were significantly lower in thick (greater than 1.50 mm) primary lesions and metastases than in thin (less than or equal to 1.50 mm) primary lesions. The evidence suggests that melanocyte-derived melanoma clones with a low grade of malignancy preserve class 1 HLA expression, and that the clones with a high grade of malignancy tend to lose the antigen expression. Nevus cells in common nevi have little or no expression of beta 2M. In halo nevi, however, beta 2M were detected on nevus cells in the lesions associated with inflammatory infiltration. Immunohistochemical analyses of the cellular composition of the inflammatory cells in halo nevi demonstrated the presence of cytotoxic T cells together with helper/inducer T cells, Langerhans cells, and macrophages. It appears that nevus cells of halo nevi are destroyed by cytotoxic T cells and that class 1 HLA antigens expressed on nevus cells play an important role in the target cell recognition and lysis by specific cytotoxic T cells.
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PMID:Beta 2 microglobulin expression in normal melanocytes, nevocellular nevi, and malignant melanomas. 265 98

A case of male urethral melanoma is reported. A 85-year-old male with a 2-month history of progressive, severe obstructive urinary symptoms and bloody urethral discharge was referred to us after an unsuccessful management at a local doctor. Physical examination revealed an ill looking old man with no evidence of nevi or other cutaneous pigmentation looking like malignant melanoma. Neither palpable periurethral mass nor inguinal lymphadenopathy was noted. RUG showed an irregular shadow defect in bulbous urethral regions. In cystourethroscopy, a raised nodular reddish black lesion in the urethra without adjacent satellite lesions was found. Histologic examination revealed that the tumor was made up of closely spaced, anaplastic, spheroidal or polyhedal cells. Intracellular brown pigment was richly present, gave a negative reaction for iron, but stained black with Masson-Fontana's method. Further examination for evaluating metastases including bone scintigraphy, computer tomographic scan, chest X-ray film were negative. Due to his poor risk, radical operation such as cystourethrectomy might be undesirable. We performed TUR to relieve urethral obstruction, because the patient refused cystostomy. He died of wide spread metastases at 6 months after the operation. This case seems to be the second report in the Japanese literature.
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PMID:[Malignant melanoma of male urethra: a case report]. 265 6

We have used polymerase chain reaction (PCR), an amplification procedure, and oligonucleotide hybridization to detect ras gene point mutations in DNA from melanoma tumor samples. Genomic DNA was examined from 40 specimens of melanotic lesions, including benign nevi, primary melanomas, lymph node metastases, and systemic metastases. Adjacent normal skin or peripheral blood was analyzed as control material in 28 cases. ras mutations were detected overall in 25% of malignant tumors. In addition, mutations of all three ras genes were detected. We observed ras mutations in 2 of 4 benign atypical nevi (2 X K12), 4 of 22 primary melanomas (3 X K12, 1 X H12, 1 X N61), and 4 of 14 secondary (5 X K12, 1 X N61) tumors. One with a primary melanoma had concurrent K12 and H12, and two patients with secondary tumors had concurrent K12/N61 and K12 Asp/K12 Val mutations, respectively, making a total of 10 of 40 (25%) patients with ras mutations. This is the first demonstration of K-ras mutations in human melanoma. The presence of K-ras mutations in nevi, putative melanoma precursors, suggests that ras activation may be an early event in melanoma development. No correlation between tumor thickness and the presence of a ras mutation was observed.
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PMID:ras mutations in human melanotic lesions: K-ras activation is a frequent and early event in melanoma development. 269 57

We report on the clinical and pathologic features of 32 lesions diagnosed as malignant spindle cell and epithelioid cell nevus (S&E nevus). Because of the clinical or initial histopathologic diagnosis of malignant melanoma, six patients had lymph node dissection. Three of these patients also had an enlarged lymph node. In all six cases, metastatic spindle or epithelioid cells were found in at least one of the resected lymph nodes. Of the 30 patients with follow-up information, including all six patients with lymph node metastases, all are alive and well. No recurrences or further metastases have been found. On histopathologic reevaluation, all the lesions had features of S&E nevi. Study of these cases suggests that although some lesions with features of S&E nevi may involve local lymph nodes, widespread metastases do not result.
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PMID:Spindle cell and epithelioid cell nevi with atypia and metastasis (malignant Spitz nevus). 280 11


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