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)

Changes in the zinc metabolism indexes (levels in blood serum, leukocytes, erythrocytes, diurnal urine and liver tissue) were assayed colorimetrically in 116 patients (52 with primary and metastatic cancer of liver, 20 with neoplasms of extrahepatic localizations and 44 with acute and chronic leukemia). Normal or elevated concentration of zinc in blood serum identifiable only in cases of primary cancer of the liver (matched by a decrease in blood serum zinc level in the remaining cases) provides a differential diagnosis sign suggesting transformation of hepatocirrhosis into primary cancer of the liver. Zinc levels in blood serum and leukocytes are relatively low in cases of different types and sites of tumors, this being characteristic of the initial stages of the disease.
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PMID:[Change in zinc metabolism in malignant neoplasms]. 397 4

Recently, the study of the physiological role of the essential trace elements is being emphasized. Some environmental and disease factors has been demonstrated to perturb trace element homeostasis. A number of recent studies have described alterations in serum copper levels (SCLs) and serum zinc levels (SZLs) in human cancer patients and the relationship between the magnitude of their perturbation and disease activity. This report describes SCLs, SZLs and SCL/SZL ratios in patients with malignant neoplasms of the urogenital tract at various clinical stages and the relationship of the levels of these trace elements to disease activity. According to SCLs before treatment, patients with renal cell carcinoma appeared to be separated into two groups, normal SCL group and higher SCL group. In the higher SCL group, patients generally displayed increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate, CRP, alpha 2 globulin, beta 2 microglobulin, ferritin and CEA. In this group, SCL was a useful index of disease activity. In the normal SCL group, SCLs remained within normal limit even in patients with advanced disease. In renal cell carcinoma, SZLs did not reflect disease activity. In transitional cell carcinoma of the upper urinary tract, patients with metastasis had significantly elevated SCLs and significantly decreased SZLs, compared with normal controls or patients without metastasis. In transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder, no distinct relationships were observed between these trace elements and extent of malignancy. But there was a trend toward increasing SCLs and decreasing SZLs with progressing stage and SCL/SZL ratios fairly reflect stage of disease. Patients with prostatic cancer had nearly normal SCLs and SZLs, although there were a few exceptions. Testicular cancer patients with distant metastasis had significantly elevated SCLs and initially high SCLs decreased in patients responding to therapy and increased again in relapse. SZLs and, hence, SCL/SZL ratios had no relationship to activity of testicular cancer. Currently there is no satisfactory way of following the progress of malignancies of the urogenital tract except prostatic cancer with elevated acid phosphatase and non-seminomatous testicular tumors until the secondary tumor can be detected radiographically. Our study suggests that these trace element might be a useful indicator of disease activity of some of the urogenital malignancies.
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PMID:[Serum copper and zinc levels in patients with malignant neoplasm of the urogenital tract]. 408 94

The authors describe a juxtaglomerular cell tumor (JGCT) which caused severe hypertension in a 58-year-old man. Light microscopy showed a circumscribed tumor composed of interlacing cords and occasional nodules of relatively uniform cells with no mitotic activity. Rhomboid crystals characteristic of "prerenin" were present within the cytoplasm of tumor cells, and there was a close relationship between the tumor and unmyelinated nerve axons. Intracytoplasmic renin was demonstrated by immunofluorescence, and tumor granules were shown to contain zinc by electron-beam microanalysis. Review of 14 prior cases, with additional follow-up of 9, showed that no patient had developed recurrence, metastasis, or another tumor. Four patients, however, are hypertensive but probably because of secondary tumor effects rather than recurrent hyperreninism. The distinction of JGCT from hemangiopericytoma with renal involvement is important because of the high mortality associated with the latter. The authors conclude that JGCT is benign, but patients with JGCT may remain hypertensive postnephrectomy because of hypertensive angiopathy.
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PMID:Juxtaglomerular cell tumor of the kidney. 636 18

Serum copper levels (SCL) and serum zinc levels (SZL) were evaluated in malignant melanoma patients at various clinical stages. Copper levels were generally found to be elevated, reflecting the degree and extent of tumor activity. Zinc levels and, hence, SCL:SZL ratios did not reflect tumor activity. SCL appeared to prognosticate disease progression in that all patients whose values never declined below 150 micrograms/100 ml died during the course of the study. However, not all patients who died from tumor metastases displayed persistent elevations of SCL. Patients receiving BCG immunotherapy appeared to have higher SCL than untreated patients.
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PMID:Serum copper and zinc levels in melanoma patients. 722 78

Metallothionein (MT) is a low-molecular-weight protein with a high affinity for group II metal ions, especially zinc and copper. MT serves as an intracellular reservoir of these ions, but may also be involved in the detoxification of certain toxic metal ions such as cadmium. In addition, high MT contents might protect tumour cells from alkylating agents and irradiation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic significance of immunohistochemically detected MT overexpression in patients with primary breast carcinoma: 478 patients with primary breast carcinoma diagnosed during the period 1980-1985 were included. Formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded tissue was used. Immunoreactivity for MT was found to be independent of the length of formalin fixation if the sections were microwave processed before incubation with the primary antibody. Patients were divided into two groups: those with MT overexpression (more than 10% positive tumour cells) and those with low expression (less than 10% positive tumour cells). MT overexpression was correlated with postmenopausal status, large tumour size, presence of lymph node metastases, high number of mitoses, severe nuclear pleomorphism, high histological grade (poor differentiation), and absence of PgR. In univariate analysis of survival data, MT overexpression was a predictor of poor overall survival in the entire group of patients. In multivariate analysis, MT overexpression failed to be of prognostic significance, whereas classical histopathological parameters such as tumour size, histological grade, and PgR were of independent prognostic significance.
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PMID:The prognostic significance of immunohistochemically detectable metallothionein in primary breast carcinomas. 761 58

Many enzymes capable of proteolytic degradation of extracellular matrix and basement membranes have been implicated in tumor progression, including the matrix metalloproteinases, cathepsins, plasminogen activators, and heparanase. Matrix metalloproteinases, a family of zinc-dependent proteases, participate in several steps in tumor progression, including invasion, metastasis, and angiogenesis. In this review, we will give a brief overview of this protease family, and we will review in vitro and in vivo evidence implicating a particular metalloproteinase, the 92-kD type IV collagenase/gelatinase (MMP-9 or gelatinase B), as well as other metalloproteinases, in cancer progression. Finally, using recent studies from our laboratory, we will demonstrate the importance of both tumor cell and host stromal cell production of MMP-9 in tumor progression.
Invasion Metastasis
PMID:Metalloproteinases in tumor progression: the contribution of MMP-9. 765 17

Metallothioneins are ubiquitous proteins with a high affinity for heavy metal ions, e.g. zinc, copper and cadmium. Experimentally, metallothionein over-expression in cell lines derived from a variety of cancers has been associated with resistance to anticancer drugs and irradiation therapy. Using a monoclonal antibody (E9) to metallothionein we investigated immunoreactive expression in routinely fixed and paraffin-embedded tissue from 63 cases of malignant melanoma and 13 secondary deposits. Whereas a variety of cells in normal skin showed metallothionein expression, all forms of benign naevi studied were uniformly negative. In contrast 13/30 'thin' (< or = 1.5 mm; 0.7 +/- 0.4), 25/29 'thick' malignant melanoma (> 1.5 mm; 5.5 +/- 3.9) and 12/13 metastases were positive. Six patients with thin and 19 with thick melanoma with metallothionein expression died during a mean observation period of 6.4 +/- 1.8 and 3.6 +/- 2.5 years, respectively, their survival distribution function analyses giving statistically significant results for both the vertical tumour thickness (P < 0.0001) and metallothionein expression (P < 0.0001). These immunohistochemical results, based on routinely processed paraffin-embedded tissue, suggest that metallothionein expression in malignant melanoma is significantly associated with progressive disease and might therefore be a useful prognostic indicator.
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PMID:Immunohistochemically demonstrated metallothionein expression in malignant melanoma. 822 44

Metallothioneins (MTs) are ubiquitous low-molecular-weight proteins with a high affinity for heavy metal ions such as zinc, copper and cadmium. MT over-expression has been associated with resistance against anticancer drugs. In the present study we investigated 86 cases (45 cases of tumour category pT1 and 41 of category pT2) of routinely fixed and paraffin-embedded primary breast carcinomas immunohistochemically with a monoclonal antibody to an epitope of MT shared by its I and II isoforms. Immunohistochemically demonstrated MT over-expression was found in the invasive components of 7 of 32 pT1 and 17 of 28 pT2 invasive ductal carcinomas, whereas all 26 invasive lobular carcinomas gave weak or negative results. Fourteen of 17 pT2 and 2 of 7 pT1 invasive ductal carcinomas with MT over-expression developed metastases during follow-up with poor prognostic outcome. In contrast only 3 of 11 pT2 and none of the 25 pT1 cases without MT over-expression had a poor clinical course (P < 0.001). It is concluded that MT over-expression is associated with significantly poor prognosis particularly in pT2 invasive ductal breast carcinomas.
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PMID:Presence and possible significance of immunocytochemically demonstrable metallothionein over-expression in primary invasive ductal carcinoma of the breast. 838 80

Gangliosides, sialic acid-containing glycosphingolipids, enhance tumor formation in experimental animals and are associated with tumor progression and metastasis in humans. The mechanism(s) for this activity is (are) unknown. One possibility is enhanced platelet activation, since the interaction of platelets with tumor cells contributes to tumor cell arrest in the vascular compartment. We have previously shown that neuroblastoma tumor gangliosides (NBTG) enhance platelet adenosine triphosphate (ATP) secretion, aggregation, and adhesion. We determined that these NBTG effects are specific for collagen and are mediated through an alpha2 beta1 integrin-dependent mechanism. This report describes the effects of NBTG on a physiologically relevant model of collagen-alpha2 betal interaction. Platelet adhesion to immobilized native collagen fibers similar to those found in the extracellular matrix of blood vessels was determined. Platelet adhesion is enhanced by NBTG in a concentration-dependent manner. Incubation with concentrations of 1 and 10 microM NBTG increased platelet adhesion by 9% and 52%, respectively, compared to less than 1% in controls not incubated with gangliosides (P = 0.001 and P < 0.0001, respectively). In addition to increasing the number of adherent platelets, NBTG promoted more rapid attachment. In NBTG-incubated platelets, platelet adhesion began after a 5-min lag phase and was maximal at 30 min compared to a 20-min lag phase and maximal adhesion at 60 min for control platelets. At 30 min this difference was significant (P = 0.017); however, by 120 min there was no difference between NBTG and controls (P = 0.259). NBTG also induces platelet adhesion at collagen concentrations (0.1 microg) that failed to support adhesion of control platelets. These effects of NBTG require Mg2+ or Mn2+ ions but are not supported by Zn2+ or Ca2+ ions. Furthermore, preincubation of platelets with a blocking antibody (6F1) to the integrin collagen receptor alpha2 beta1 abrogates all of the effects of NBTG. These results indicate that tumor gangliosides enhance platelet adhesion to extracellular matrix collagen and promote rapid stabilization of the collagen-alpha2 beta1 interaction, the initial steps in platelet activation.
Clin Exp Metastasis 1997 Jan
PMID:Effects of neuroblastoma tumor gangliosides on platelet adhesion to collagen. 900 4

Numerous studies have demonstrated the importance of urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA) and its receptor, uPAR, in the processes of tumor progression and metastasis. Thus, the uPA/uPAR interaction may represent an important target for inhibiting metastatic disease. The baculovirus expression system was used to produce high levels of a secreted uPA-Immunoglobulin G fusion protein (uPA-IgG) which could then be used for displacing uPA from the surface of tumor cells. The recombinant uPA-IgG fusion protein was placed under the control of either the viral polyhedrin promoter or a copy of the viral basic protein promoter. Recombinant viruses were then used to infect Sf9 and BTI-Tn-5B1-4 cells. Infection of both cell types resulted in the production of secreted uPA-IgG. The molecular mass of the secreted protein as determined by SDS-PAGE was approximately 40 kDa. The highest level of secreted uPA-IgG, 444 microg/ml, was found in the culture medium of BTI-Tn-5B1-4 cells 72 h post-infection with the basic protein promoter-uPA-IgG virus. In the case of Sf9 cells, the highest level of secreted protein was 195 microg/ml. The amount of cell-associated uPA-IgG in infected BTI-Tn-5B1-4 cells was significantly less than that of infected Sf9 cells, reflecting the superior secretory capability of the BTI-Tn-5B1-4 cells. The uPA-IgG was readily purified using a combination of zinc chelate and sephacryl S-100 column chromatography. Routinely, greater than 100 mg of greater than 95% pure protein could be obtained per liter of culture medium collected at 72 h post-infection of BTI-Tn-5B1-4 cells with the basic protein promoter virus. BIAcore analysis and competition binding assays using LOX human malignant melanoma cells expressing uPAR indicated that the purified recombinant protein possessed similar ligand binding characteristics to that of human uPA.
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PMID:Production of a urokinase plasminogen activator-IgG fusion protein (uPA-IgG) in the baculovirus expression system. 918 59


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