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)

Parathyroid carcinoma (PC) is an uncommon finding, accounting for only 1-2% of patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (HPT), but a relatively higher incidence has been reported in Italy and Japan. The etiology of the tumour remains unclear, but molecular analysis studies have hypothesised the involvement of mutations of several genes in the pathogenesis of PC, including the oncogene cyclin Dl or PRADI located at the chromosome 13, the retinoblastoma and the p53 tumour suppressor gene. The clinical presentation of patients with PC is mainly related to the increased secretion of PTH rather than to the tumour burden. The pre-operative diagnosis of malignancy is very difficult to obtain, and, thus, intra-operative recognition of PC is mandatory. However, reliable signs of malignancy are rarely detectable. Probably, only vascular invasion, that correlates with tumour recurrence and metastases, should be considered useful in confirming malignancy, although both Ki-67 and Cyclin D1 have been recently used to aid in the definitive diagnosis. The en bloc resection of the tumour, together with ipsilateral thyroid lobe and adjacent structures, only if involved, avoiding any capsular rupture of the mass, represents the gold standard of surgical treatment of patients. Although the PC has traditionally been considered as a radioresistant tumour, there are some retrospective data holding a possible benefit from post-operative irradiation. No cytotoxic regimen with proven efficacy is currently available for patients with PC, but since hypercalcemia is ultimately the most frequent cause of death, several studies have suggested the usefulness of bisphosphonates (i.e., clodronate, pamidronate and zoledronate), calcitonin, and calcimimetic agents (i.e., cinacalcet) in patients with PC and severe hypercalcemia. In conclusion, PC is a rare malignancy and the NCDB survey reports an overall five- and ten-year survival rate of 85% and 49%, respectively. However, it is very difficult to predict the clinical behaviour of patients with PC and probably the ultimate prognosis depends on successful resection of the tumour at the initial surgery.
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PMID:Parathyroid cancer: etiology, clinical presentation and treatment. 1721 44

Olfactory neuroblastoma is an uncommon neoplasm. Typically, these tumors are indolent with long-standing symptomatology, but the fact that the lesions are indeed malignant has been proven by the repeated demonstration that they can metastasize to distant organs. Suitable prognostic factors are lacking and therapeutic strategy still remains controversial. Expression of human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) is associated with most human malignancies and high levels have been correlated with poor prognosis in many cancers. In comparison, overexpression of cyclin-D1 occurs in several malignancies and has been associated with aggressive tumor behavior and poorer prognosis. In this study, we collected 16 olfactory neuroblastomas from the Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital. The aim was to investigate the value of immunoexpression of hTERT and cyclin-D1 in correlation with clinicopathologic features of olfactory neuroblastoma. Low and high cyclin-D1 expression was found in 6 and 10 cases, respectively. For hTERT, low and high protein expression was detected in 5 and 11 tumors, respectively. Cyclin-D1 expression was not correlated with selected parameters. However, high hTERT expression was significantly correlated with high Kadish stage. In conclusion, high hTERT expression can be considered a potential indicator of aggressive olfactory neuroblastoma.
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PMID:Expression of human telomerase reverse transcriptase and cyclin-D1 in olfactory neuroblastoma. 1722 47

Prolactinoma is the most common pituitary tumour in adults. Macroprolactinomas, particularly in men, may occasionally exhibit a very aggressive clinical course as evidenced by progressive growth, invasion through bone into the sphenoid sinus, cavernous sinus, suprasellar region or the nasopharynx. Some may even progress to pituitary carcinoma with craniospinal or systemic metastases. Aggressive tumours have low cure rates despite appropriate medical and surgical treatment. The mechanisms underlying this aggressive biological behaviour have not yet been fully clarified. Recent immunohistochemical, molecular and genetic studies have provided some insight in this respect. Invasive prolactinomas may be associated with a high Ki-67/MIB-1 labelling index indicating increased cell proliferation, although this is not a universal finding. The AA polymorphism in the cyclin adenine (A)/guanine (G) gene is more frequently detected in invasive prolactinomas. Increased expression of the polysialylated neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) and reduced expression of the E-cadherin/catenin complex implies a contribution of altered cell-to-cell adhesion and cellular migration. Extracellular matrix components (ECM), matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and their inhibitors play important roles in the context of angiogenesis and invasion. The induction of fibroblast growth factor and vascular endothelial growth factor via oestrogen-induced overexpression of novel genes (PTTG, hst and Edpm5) enhance cell growth, proliferation and angiogenesis contributing to invasiveness in prolactinomas. Although mutations in proto-oncogenes like Ras are uncommon, loss of tumour suppressor genes at loci 11q13, 13q12-14, 10q and 1p seem to be associated with invasiveness. Of the described mechanisms, only reduced E-cadherin/catenin expression and overexpression of hst gene seem to be relatively specific markers for prolactinoma invasiveness compared with other pituitary adenomas. Further research is needed to clarify the molecular mechanisms behind the aggressive course of some prolactinomas to predict those with a potentially poor clinical outcome, and to devise treatments that will eventually enable the cure of these challenging tumours.
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PMID:What are the markers of aggressiveness in prolactinomas? Changes in cell biology, extracellular matrix components, angiogenesis and genetics. 1728 3

Carcinoid tumors are neuroendocrine malignancies that frequently metastasize and secrete hormones that cause debilitating symptoms in patients. In this study we report the effects of valproic acid (VPA), a drug long used for the treatment of epilepsy, on the growth and neuroendocrine phenotype of human carcinoid cancer cells. VPA treatment of gastrointestinal and pulmonary carcinoid cells resulted in a dose-dependent inhibition of cancer cell growth. Western blot analysis revealed degradation of cyclin D1 and an increase in cyclin-dependent kinases p21 and p27 with VPA treatment. Flow cytometry confirmed that the mechanism of VPA-induced growth inhibition is G(1) phase cell cycle arrest. Furthermore, VPA suppressed expression of the neuroendocrine tumor marker chromogranin A. In addition to these effects, VPA also increased levels of full-length Notch-1 and the active Notch-1 intracellular domain. Luciferase reporter assays incorporating the centromere-binding factor 1 (CBF-1) binding site and the achaete-scute complex-like 1 (ASCL-1) promoter confirmed the functional activity of VPA-induced Notch-1. Transfection of Notch-1 small-interfering RNA into carcinoid tumor cells blocked the effects of VPA on Notch-1 activation, ASCL-1 suppression, p21 induction, and cell growth inhibition. VPA also suppressed growth of carcinoid tumors in vivo in a mouse tumor xenograft experiment. These findings confirm the important role of Notch-1 in regulating the growth and neuroendocrine phenotype of carcinoid tumor cells. On the basis of this study, a clinical trial of VPA for patients with advanced carcinoid cancer will be conducted. Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is found at the end of this article.
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PMID:Valproic acid activates notch-1 signaling and regulates the neuroendocrine phenotype in carcinoid cancer cells. 1776 53

Malignant melanoma is one of the most aggressive and invasive metastatic tumors derived from melanocytes that have undergone malignant transformation by acquisition of genetic and epigenetic alterations. Oligonucleotide microarray-based screening of distinct stages in the tumor progression model of cutaneous melanoma identified ASK/Dbf4, as a novel determinant for melanoma development. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction-based confirmation of ASK/Dbf4 on a series of benign nevi, dysplastic nevi, primary cutaneous melanomas and cutaneous melanoma metastases; and a number of other controls using normal human melanocytes as calibrator not only revealed a melanoma-specific over-expression but also revealed that higher ASK/Dbf4-expressing melanomas were associated with lower relapse-free survival. Additionally, we also confirmed the observed over-expression of ASK/Dbf4 in melanoma using western blot analysis and immunohistochemistry. As ASK/Dbf4 is known to be a cyclin-like regulatory subunit of mammalian Cdc7 from the studies in yeast, the present study investigated its role in melanoma cells. In keeping with its expected role, our data suggest that up-regulated ASK/Dbf4 is localized in the nucleus and binds to human Cdc7 to form Cdc7-ASK/Dbf4 complexes in several analyzed melanoma cell lines. Further, we demonstrate that small interfering RNA-mediated depletion of ASK/Dbf4 retarded melanoma cell survival and proliferation. In summary, we report the differential regulation of a novel gene, namely ASK/Dbf4, in melanoma and suggest that up-regulation of ASK/Dbf4 is a novel molecular determinant with prognostic relevance that confers a proliferative advantage in cutaneous melanoma.
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PMID:Identification and functional characterization of ASK/Dbf4, a novel cell survival gene in cutaneous melanoma with prognostic relevance. 1776 77

The p27 tumor suppressor negatively regulates G1 cell cycle progression. However, human malignancies rarely select for deletion/inactivation of p27, a hallmark of tumor suppressor genes. Instead, p27 is degraded or relocalized to the cytoplasm in aggressive malignancies, supporting the notion that p27 sequestration from its nuclear cyclin:cyclin-dependent kinase (cdk) targets is critical. However, emerging cell biology data suggest a novel cdk-independent cytoplasmic function of p27 in cell migration. Here, we find cytoplasmic p27 in 70% of invasive and metastatic melanomas. In contrast, no cytoplasmic p27 was detected in noninvasive, basement membrane-confined melanoma in situ, suggesting a late oncogenic role for cytoplasmic p27 in metastasis. Targeted cytoplasmic expression of wild-type or non-cdk-binding p27 at subphysiologic levels induced melanoma motility and resulted in numerous metastases to lymph node, lung, and peritoneum. These observations point to a prominent role of cytoplasmic p27 in metastatic disease that is independent of cyclin:cdk regulation or mere nuclear loss.
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PMID:Relocalized p27Kip1 tumor suppressor functions as a cytoplasmic metastatic oncogene in melanoma. 1790 30

High-grade transformation of adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) (previously referred to as dedifferentiation) is a rare phenomenon that does not fit into the traditional ACC grading schemes. The importance and minimal criteria for distinction from solid (grade III) ACC are not well established. We report 11 new cases and review the literature to further define the profile of this tumor. The median age was 61 years (range: 32 to 72 y) with a male predominance (male to female ratio of 1.75:1). The most commonly involved sites were sinonasal (4/11) and submandibular (4/11). Lymph nodes were pathologically positive in 4/7 (57.1%) cases. Distant metastases to the lung (n=2) and soft tissue of the shoulder (n=1) were observed. Five of 9 patients (55.6%) died, all within 5 years with a median overall survival of 12 months. Histologically, ACC with high-grade transformation was distinguished from conventional ACC by nuclear enlargement and irregularity, higher mitotic counts, and the loss of the biphasic ductal-myoepithelial differentiation. Useful supportive criteria were prominent comedonecrosis and fibrocellular desmoplasia. The most common morphologies for the high-grade component were poorly differentiated cribriform adenocarcinoma and solid undifferentiated carcinoma. Micropapillary and squamoid patterns were occasionally present. Ki-67 and p53 labeling indices were elevated in the high-grade components, though c-kit and cyclin-D1 were not. ACC-high-grade transformation is a highly aggressive salivary gland tumor with a variety of histologic patterns. The high propensity for lymph node metastases suggests a role for neck dissection in patients with this rare tumor.
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PMID:Adenoid cystic carcinoma with high-grade transformation: a report of 11 cases and a review of the literature. 1805 25

In this study, we establish an MCF-7 xenograft model that mimics the progression of human breast carcinomas typified by loss of p53 integrity, development of centrosome amplification, acquired estrogen receptor (ERalpha) heterogeneity, overexpression of Mdm2 and metastatic spread from the primary tumor to distant organs. MCF-7 cells with abrogated p53 function (vMCF-7(Dnp53)) maintained nuclear ERalpha expression and normal centrosome characteristics in vitro. However, following mitogen stimulation, they developed centrosome amplification and a higher frequency of aberrant mitotic spindles. Centrosome amplification was dependent on cdk2/cyclin activity since treatment with the small molecule inhibitor SU9516 suppressed centriole reduplication. In contrast to the parental MCF-7 cells, when introduced into nude mice as xenografts, tumors derived from the vMCF-7(DNp53) cell line developed a strikingly altered phenotype characterized by increased tumor growth, higher tumor histopathology grade, centrosome amplification, loss of nuclear ERalpha expression, increased expression of Mdm-2 oncoprotein and resistance to the antiestrogen tamoxifen. Importantly, while MCF-7 xenografts did not develop distant metastases, primary tumors derived from vMCF-7(DNp53) cells gave rise to lung metastases. Taken together, these observations indicate that abrogation of p53 function and consequent deregulation of the G1/S cell cycle transition leads to centrosome amplification responsible for breast cancer progression.
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PMID:Impaired p53 function leads to centrosome amplification, acquired ERalpha phenotypic heterogeneity and distant metastases in breast cancer MCF-7 xenografts. 1826 35

Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNSTs) develop in patients with underlying NF1, and usually arise as a result of malignant transformation of a pre-existing plexiform neurofibroma. The clonal cytogenetic abnormalities reported in primary MPNST include complex karyotypes with chromosome numbers in the triploid or tetraploid range with recurrent abnormalities of several chromosomes including losses or imbalances. As a prelude to cell biological, pharmacological, and functional studies to investigate pathways and gene(s) associated with multistep tumorigenesis, which includes progression, metastasis and resistance to therapy in MPNST, detailed molecular cytogenetic and genetic analyses of cell lines from primary, metastatic and recurrent MPNST with underlying NF1 disorder have been performed. The clonal cytogenetic abnormalities detected in the primary tumor cell line were similar to those observed in primary cultures of this tumor. Due to the complexity of the rearrangements seen by G-banded karyotype analysis, further characterization of the clonal abnormalities in these three cell lines was performed by molecular cytogenetic techniques, including CGH and SKY. CGH analysis detected recurrent deletions of 9p, 12q21-q32, complete losses of the X-chromosome, and gains of the chromosomal segment 17q25 in all three cell lines. SKY analysis detected extensive clonal abnormalities in these cell lines. The nature and the alterations of the cell cycle regulators, particularly those associated with G1-S checkpoints and known to be deregulated in MPNST, were studied. These cell cycle regulators included those associated with Rb1-cyclin D1 and the p53 pathways. The findings are consistent with the argument that an imbalance between the cyclin activators of CDKs and inhibitory proteins such as p16 result in uncontrollable proliferation in the cell lines, associated with progression of the disease. LOH and expression of the p53 gene in metastatic and recurrent cell lines was observed, as reported by others. The role of biallelic inactivation of p53 gene in MPNST with underlying NF1 mutations, however, needs further study. Overexpression of Rb1-protein observed in metastatic and recurrent cell lines is indicative of its role in the progression of the disease. One of the most important observations of this study is that Nm23-H1 expression is closely associated with advanced or metastatic disease. In summary, MPNST cell lines derived from a patient with metastatic and recurrent disease with NF1 disorder were characterized and a gene associated with metastatic potential which is amenable to therapeutic and chemo-preventative approaches was identified. These cell lines with extensive characterization of genetic abnormalities are likely to provide important reagents for biochemical, molecular and pharmacological studies related to MPNST.
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PMID:Molecular characterization of permanent cell lines from primary, metastatic and recurrent malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNST) with underlying neurofibromatosis-1. 1941 72

High-grade transformation of acinic cell carcinoma (AciCC) (previously referred to as dedifferentiation) is a rare phenomenon characterized by histologic progression of low-grade AciCC to high-grade adenocarcinoma or undifferentiated carcinoma. We report 9 new cases with immunohistochemical analysis and examination of HER-2/neu and p53 genes to further define the profile of this tumor. Histologically, the high-grade component was composed of polymorphic cells with a high mitotic rate arranged in glandular and solid growth patterns with comedonecrosis. The MIB-1 labeling indices were elevated in the high-grade component, as compared with the low grade conventional AciCC. The high-grade component of AciCC was characterized by strong membrane staining for CK18 and beta-catenin, and nuclear staining for cyclin-D1. HER-2/neu, androgen receptor, C-kit, and epidermal growth factor receptor were absent from both low-grade and high-grade components. In contrast, S-100 protein, alpha-1-antitrypsin, and lysozyme were lost only in high-grade foci of transformed AciCC. The median age was 61 years (with range from 43 to 76 y). Lymph node (LN) metastases were found in 5 of 9 cases (56%). Distant metastases to the lungs (n=4), pleura (n=2), brain (n=3), and peritoneum (n=1), and paraaortic, paratracheal, and mediastinal LNs (n=2) were observed. Six of 9 patients (66%) died from tumor dissemination, all with a median overall survival of 4.3 years (range: 1 to 9 y). The high propensity for LN metastases indicates the need for neck dissection at the time of diagnosis.
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PMID:Acinic cell carcinoma with high-grade transformation: a report of 9 cases with immunohistochemical study and analysis of TP53 and HER-2/neu genes. 1946 6


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