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)

Using a sandwich enzyme-linked immunoassay, plasma total cathepsin D concentration was assayed in 40 breast cancer patients and 84 patients with various liver diseases and compared to that of 52 normal subjects. There were no significant variations found in breast cancer patients related to tumor size, node invasiveness or metastases. In normal women, cathepsin D levels were slightly but not significantly increased in the luteal phase and in pregnancy. By contrast, plasma cathepsin D concentration was significantly increased in 70-75% of patients with liver disease (cirrhosis, hepatocarcinoma, hepatitis), but not in those with liver steatosis. Cathepsin D was independent of most of the plasma hepatic function tests and was correlated with alpha-fetoprotein in cirrhosis and with alpha-fucosidase in primary hepatocellular carcinoma. We conclude that plasma cathepsin D is not a useful marker in breast cancer. However, since the cellular level of this protease is associated with risk of metastasis in breast cancer, clinical follow-up will be required to test whether high cathepsin D plasma concentration has any prognostic value in liver cirrhosis and primary hepatocarcinoma.
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PMID:Increased plasma cathepsin D concentration in hepatic carcinoma and cirrhosis but not in breast cancer. 166 31

The 20-year period since the discovery of AFP by Abelev has seen the introduction of a wide range of new tumour markers and it is now clear that PLC is biologically heterogeneous. Hepatoblastomas, fibrolamellar carcinomas, hepatocellular carcinomas and cholangiocarcinomas may secrete a variety of distinctive markers which are predominantly glycoproteins, and may resemble those found in placenta or fetal liver. Diagnostically, AFP remains the best marker for HCC, both in sensitivity and specificity; it is known to consist of isoforms. In patients with elevated serum AFP and filling defects on liver scan, Con A reactive AFP may differentiate PLC from hepatic metastases, whilst fucosylated AFP may distinguish PLC from benign disorders when AFP is non-diagnostically elevated. With this recognition of tumour heterogeneity the value of a multiple-marker approach has become apparent. The measurement of vitamin B12 binding protein and neurotensin should lead to the detection of most patients with the fibrolamellar variant of HCC and many of these should be resectable. In patients with normal serum AFP levels, HCC-associated GGTP is of major value whilst in low-incidence areas for HCC, patients should also be screened for H-ALP; using a multiple marker approach in high-risk groups, 90% of clinically diagnosed hepatocellular carcinomas are serologically positive. The Chinese and Alaskan studies, in which small, potentially resectable tumours were detected, suggest that it is now possible to achieve 5-year survival figures of up to 60% in HCC patients detected by screening. The value of such a strategy in low-incidence countries is currently under study. In patient monitoring, as in diagnosis, AFP remains the outstanding marker. In AFP-negative patients, other markers including vitamin B12-binding protein, neurotensin, HCC-specific isoenzymes, des-gamma-carboxy-prothrombin and alpha-fucosidase, are of undoubted diagnostic value, but their value as indicants of disease progression remains to be established. In monitoring the response of hepatic metastases, CEA remains the least unsatisfactory marker but should always be used in conjunction with serial ultrasound scans. Tumour markers now play an important role in the diagnosis and monitoring of PLC but a role is also emerging in tumour imaging and drug targeting. The next 20 years should see the introduction of tumour markers of high sensitivity and specificity which make a fundamental contribution not only to detection and monitoring, but also to the effective treatment of liver cancer.
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PMID:Tumour markers in diagnosis and management. 243 83

The serum catalytic concentration of alpha-L-fucosidase (AFU) was measured to evaluate its usefulness for the diagnosis of hepatocarcinoma (HPC). Fifty-one patients with hepatocarcinoma, 30 with hepatic metastases, 40 with hepatic cirrhosis, 22 with other hepatic diseases and 48 healthy individuals were evaluated. The values of serum AFU were significantly higher in all groups (p less than 0.001), than in the reference group; there were also significant differences between those with HPC and hepatic cirrhosis (p less than 0.01), and between HPC and other hepatic diseases (p less than 0.05). The highest effectiveness of the test was achieved with a catalytic concentration of serum AFU of 210 nKat/l, with a 37% sensitivity and a 91% specificity. When the AFU measurement was used concomitantly with that of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) for the diagnosis of HPC, sensitivity increased to 72% when AFI or AFP were elevated, and specificity reached 99% when both were increased. We think that the measurement of serum AFU may be helpful for the diagnosis of hepatocarcinoma.
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PMID:[Value of the serum measurement of alpha-L-fucosidase in the diagnosis of hepatocarcinoma]. 247 45

Colorectal cancer remains a major medical problem and survival of the patients is directly correlated to the possibility of metastases occurrence. We searched for biochemical differences between colorectal adenocarcinomas and their precursor normal cells with the aim of complementing histological methods for the classification and prognosis of human colorectal tumours. Increased fucosylation is one of the most common phenomena associated with malignant transformation, invasion and metastases. It might be expected that the enzyme alpha-L-fucosidase (alpha-L-fucosidase fucohydrolase E.C.3.2.1.51), involved in the breakdown of fucose-containing glycoproteins and glycolipids, would play an important role in the maintenance of the fucose content of aberrant fucosylated glycoconjugates. Statistical evaluation of 110 patients with colorectal adenocarcinoma has shown that there is a significant decrease of alpha-L-fucosidase activity in the malignant tissue compared with the healthy colonic mucosa of the same patient. Characterisation studies have shown that there are remarkable similarities in the physicochemical and kinetic properties of the enzyme in both tissues. Using an immunodetection assay we conclude that the observed decrease of alpha-L-fucosidase activity is due to a significant decrease of alpha-L-fucosidase protein in colorectal tumours. Our results further demonstrate that the alpha-L-fucosidase content (either as enzymatic activity or as enzymatic protein) is lower in primary tumours at advanced stages (Dukes' B and C) than in primaries at early stages (Dukes' A).
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PMID:Low levels of alpha-L-fucosidase activity in colorectal cancer are due to decreased amounts of the enzymatic protein and are related with Dukes' stage. 2154 79