Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0027819 (neuroblastoma)
 27,800 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Neuroblastoma, a malignant tumor of infancy and childhood, has some very interesting peculiars: good prognosis, even with disseminated disease, propensity to occasionally undergo spontaneous regression, its ability to undergo spontaneous or induced differentiation to a benign ganglioneuroma. Neuroblastoma may originate anywhere along the sympathetic nervous system chain. The most common site of primary tumor is, however, within the abdomen either in the adrenal gland or in a paraspinal ganglions. A great deal of progress has been made in advancing the knowledge of human neuroblastoma at the cellular and molecular viewpoint. The genetic predisposition to develop the tumor is clarified, a specific oncogene amplified (N-myc) in neuroblastoma cells shows precise prognostic significance and the deletion of chromosome 1's short arm has been defined. Work-up in neuroblastoma's diagnosis include the urine assay for catecholamine metabolites (VMA, HAVA, VLA) and serum assay for the specific markers as neuron-specific enolase (NSE), ferritin, GD2 ganglioside. Imaging include CT-scan, MIGB body-scan and the newest monoclonal antibodies scan. Abdominal tumors are shown in about 75% of children > 12 months old. In 2/3 of cases, tumor is widely disseminated at the time of diagnosis. In the period 1979-94 the Italian Group for Neuroblastoma (GCN-AIEOP) collected 1083 cases of tumors and 5-yrs survival was 45% +/- 2.4 for the patients studied in the period 1979-84, which is increased to 58% +/- 3 for the group of patients 1990-94 (p < 0.001). The overall survival was 53 +/- 1.7. About 5-yrs survival at different stages, AIEOP shows that it is increased from 88% +/- 3.3 (1979-84 group) to 91% +/- 2.8 (1985-92) in the stage I and II (280 cases). In the stage IV survival value improved from 79% +/- 7.1 to 84% +/- 7 (132 cases). No statistical improvement can be observed, anyway. Better improvements can be pointed out in stage III (221 cases, survival from 48% +/- 5.2 (79-84 group) to 69% +/- 4.8 (85-92) and stage IV (483 cases, survival from 16% +/- 2.6 to 28% +/- 3.4) (p < 0.001). Finally we can summarize about neuroblastoma: 1) better prognosis in the first year of life; 2) ability to spontaneous regression, first of all, in stage IVs; 3) partial and provisional response to therapy in advanced stages; 4) no recovery increasing despite advancing in surgery and chemotherapy.
 ...
PMID:[Recent advances on retroperitoneal neuroblastoma]. 941 95

A 3-year-old girl presented with epigastric pain and physical examination showed a hard right upper quadrant mass. Urine VMA and HVA were found to be raised. CT scan showed a large mass arising from the right adrenal gland, with necrotic areas and ring calcification There was midline extension. The diagnosis of neuroblastoma was confirmed by bone marrow aspiration biopsy. As the patient had inoperable stage IV neuroblastoma, she was treated with multi-drug chemotherapy. Follow-up CT scan showed excellent response to the chemotherapy, and the tumour was successfully resected. Harvesting of autologous peripheral bone marrow stem cells, megatherapy with Melphalan, and marrow rescue with the stem cells were effective. The child has been well for three years to date. The clinical and imaging features of neuroblastoma, particularly the role of imaging in staging, are emphasised.
 ...
PMID:Clinics in diagnostic imaging (31). Adrenal neuroblastoma. 955 Sep 15

Twenty children with biopsy-proven neuroblastoma were diagnosed and treated between 1984 and 1994 at King Fahd Hospital of the University in Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia. There were 12 males and eight females with a ratio of 1.5/1. The median age at diagnosis was 3 years. Clinical staging showed: Stage I, 0 per cent; Stage II, 30 per cent; Stage III, 30 per cent; Stage IV, 35 per cent, Stage IVs, 5 per cent. Primary sites of involvement included: adrenal 55 per cent retroperitoneal, 15 per cent; thoracic, 10 per cent, cervical, 5 per cent; pharyngeal, 5 per cent; lumbar, 5 per cent; unknown, 5 per cent. Pathological features showed: neuroblastoma, 70 per cent; ganglio neuroblastoma, 25 per cent; ganglioneuroma, 5 per cent. Clinical presentation revealed: abdominal swelling, 55 per cent; fever, 40 per cent; weight loss, 35 per cent; anorexia, 25 per cent; proptosis, 20 per cent; opsomyoclonus, 5 per cent; skin nodules, 5 per cent; diarrhoea, 5 per cent. Twenty four-hour urine collection showed high level of VMA in 13 (65 per cent) patients. Follow-up was from 6 months-10 years (median 5 years). disease-free survival at 2 years were as followed: Stage II, 100 per cent; Stage III, 66 per cent; Stage IV, 14 per cent; Stage IVs, 100 per cent.
 ...
PMID:Neuroblastoma in children: a 10-year experience in Saudi Arabia. 960 93

Human genes NY-ESO-1, MAGE-1 and MAGE-3 code for antigens which are expressed in malignancies of various histological types but not in normal tissues except testis. These antigens might therefore represent potential targets for specific immunotherapy. We studied the expression of genes NY-ESO-1, MAGE-1 and MAGE-3 in 98 neuroblastoma tumors by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). MAGE-1 was expressed in 66%, NY-ESO-1 in 36% and MAGE-3 in 33% of the tumors. NY-ESO-1 gene expression was associated with age older than one year (p = 0.017), more differentiated tumor histology (p = 0.044), elevated urinary vanillylmandelic acid (VMA, p = 0.018) and normal serum ferritin levels (p = 0.023). MAGE-1 expression correlated significantly with normal serum ferritin levels (p = 0.009) and absence of MycN amplification (p = 0.007) while MAGE-3 expression was associated with absence of metastasis (p = 0.027). We conclude that approximately 70% of the neuroblastoma tumors express at least one of the genes coding for NY-ESO-1, MAGE-1 or -3, respectively.
 ...
PMID:Expression and clinical relevance of NY-ESO-1, MAGE-1 and MAGE-3 in neuroblastoma. 1047 32

Iodine-123-MIBG (123I-MIBG) scintigraphy were performed for 23 patients with neuroblastoma at diagnosis. The intensity of MIBG activity in the primary tumor was evaluated visually (grade 3; intense uptake-grade 0; no definite uptake), and its relationship to the size, degree of tumor spread, urinary catecholamine metabolites (VMA, HVA), and histological types were investigated. The results of 123I-MIBG uptake grade were as follows: grade 3; 44% (10/23), grade 2; 30% (7/23), grade 1; 17% (4/23), grade 0; 9% (2/23). The grade was not associated with the tumor size, or the degree of tumor extension to the distant lesion, either. The more catecholamine metabolites were excreted in the urine, the tumor tended to have more intense uptake. The tumors of neuroblastoma rosette fibrillary type, and ganglioneuroblastoma poorly differentiated type had more intense uptake than neuroblastoma round cell type and ganglioneuroblastoma well differentiated type. The case of ganglioneuroma did not have definite MIBG uptake. The intensity of MIBG uptake is not relevant to the pathological grade of neuroblastoma, but considering the electromicroscopical features of neuroblastoma reported previously, it is thought to reflect the histological type.
 ...
PMID:[Iodine-123-MIBG scintigraphy in neuroblastoma; relationship between the intensity of uptake and tumor characteristics]. 1058 43

Pheochromocytoma and neuroblastoma are distinct tumours, but their biological diagnosis is based on secretion increase of one or several catecholamines. Assays have to be very sensible and specific for an early diagnosis. 24 hours urinary catecholamines and metabolites are currently measured, but technical improvements permit plasma metanephrine assay, an excellent indicator of pheochromocytoma. HPLC coupled to electrochemical detection represents the most efficient methodology. After a review of urinary and plasma assay methods, the authors show usual values of catecholamines, metanephrines, HVA and VMA, according to ages, and give examples of results encountered in classical or not tumours and in falsely positive cases. Urinary metanephrine assay is the most sensible and specific in biological diagnosis of pheochromocytoma, while catecholamines and VMA assays lack of sensibility. Results have to be given by 24 hours and by creatinine ratio. Metanephrine assay can be performed also in plasma and exhibits the same interest. However, in urine as in plasma, in case of renal failure, results cannot be interpreted. Neuroblastoma biological diagnosis is based classically on HVA, VMA, and dopamine assays, nowadays only in 24 hours urine (or in urinary micturition for screening), and results are also expressed as creatinine ratio. But even if several assays are advisable, 5% of the neuroblastoma cases do not produce increased catecholamine values. In some cases, metanephrine assay could be of interest. After the age of 12 months, clinical expression of neuroblastoma is dramatic in 70% of cases. So, a biological screening has been experimented in several countries including France. A French translation of the consensus conference report (1998) is appended, which shows the complexity of neuroblastoma screening. Now, there is no evidence that early tumour detection by screening lessens the mortality rate, but a weak benefit is not excluded.
 ...
PMID:[Biochemical diagnosis of pheochromocytoma and neuroblastomas]. 1183 Mar 91

The p73 gene is a p53 homologue which induces apoptosis and inhibits cell proliferation. Although p73 maps at 1p36.3 and is frequently deleted in neuroblastoma (NB), it does not act as a classic oncosuppressor gene. In developing sympathetic neurons of mice, p73 is predominantly expressed as a truncated anti-apoptotic isoform (DeltaNp73), which antagonizes both p53 and the full-length p73 protein (TAp73). This suggests that p73 may be part of a complex tumor-control mechanism. To determine the role of DeltaNp73 in NB we analyzed the pattern of expression of this gene in vivo and evaluated the prognostic significance of its expression. Our results indicate that DeltaNp73 expression is associated with reduced apoptosis in a NB tumor tissue. Expression of this variant in NB patients significantly correlates with age at diagnosis and VMA urinary excretion. Moreover it is strongly associated with reduced survival (HR=7.93; P<0.001) and progression-free survival (HR=5.3; P<0.001) and its role in predicting a poorer outcome is independent from age, primary tumor site, stage and MYCN amplification (OS: HR=5.24, P=0.012; PFS: HR=4.36, P=0.005). In conclusion our data seem to indicate that DeltaNp73 is a crucial gene in neuroblastoma pathogenesis.
 ...
PMID:Expression of DeltaNp73 is a molecular marker for adverse outcome in neuroblastoma patients. 1185 3

Overproduction of catecholamines (dopamine [DA], norepinephrine [NE]) and their metabolites (homovanillic [HVA] and vanillylmandelic [VMA] acids) characterizes neuroblastoma (NB). In previous studies, increased urinary DA/NE, and DA/VMA ratios have been associated with poor prognosis, whereas low DA/NE ratios have been associated with longer disease-free survival. Higher urinary VMA, HVA, and NE levels have been found in association with low MYCN amplification, in contrast to cases with high MYCN amplification in which normal levels have been found. It is then believed that an "immature" catecholamine pattern indicates poor prognosis. We correlated urinary DA, NE, VMA, and HVA levels with age, clinical tumor stage, histological features (favorable [FH]/unfavorable [UH]) and MYCN status of 33 patients with NB. DA/VMA and DA/HVA ratios were also calculated. Wilcoxon rank sum and chi-squared tests were performed to determine statistical significance. Eighty-eight percent (15/17) of stage 3-4 cases had DA levels >2 times the upper limit of normal, but only 8% (1/12) of stage 1-2 cases had DA levels twice the upper limit of normal. In 61% (11/18) of stage 3-4 cases, the VMA level was >10 times the upper limit of normal, in contrast to stage 1-2 cases, in which only one patient (1/15) had a VMA level >10 times the upper limit of normal. Similar findings were obtained with urinary HVA and NE. Patients older than 12 months of age at diagnosis also had higher urinary levels of DA, VMA, HVA, and NE than those of patients younger than 12 months of age at diagnosis. Eighty-two percent (14/17) of stage 3-4 cases had DA/VMA ratios <0.78, with the other 18% (3/17) showing ratios between 1.4 and 8.82 (all stage 4 and >12 months of age). In contrast, all stage 1-2 cases ((12)) had ratios <1.4. All (12/12) non- MYCN-amplified cases had DA/VMA ratios <1.4 (0.06-0.84), while one MYCN-amplified case (1/3) had a ratio of 8.82; the other two MYCN-amplified cases had DA/VMA ratios of 0.09-0.11. Twenty-nine percent (2/7) of cases with UH had a DA/VMA ratio >1.4, but in all FH cases (14/14) the DA/VMA ratio was <1.4 (0.08-0.084). Similar to previous studies, we found that aggressive NB is associated with higher urinary levels of DA, VMA, HVA, and NE. We also confirmed the previous observation that there appears to be a subset of NB in which a possible blockade in DA metabolism is associated with poor prognostic features (>12 months, stage 4, UH, and MYCN amplification). A seemingly novel observation in our study is that all high DA/HVA and DA/VMA ratios were obtained in stage 4 tumors, suggesting an association between the inability to metabolize DA and the acquisition of metastatic potential. On the basis of our results, we would like to emphasize the importance of determining not only DA, HVA, and VMA urinary levels, to support the diagnosis of NB, but also DA/HVA and DA/VMA ratios as a rapid initial assessment of prognosis in these patients.
 ...
PMID:Hormonal activity may predict aggressive behavior in neuroblastoma. 1191 May 15

Excess secretion of any of the adrenal cortical or medullary hormones contributes to a number of well-known clinical syndromes.. They may result from benign or malignant adrenal tumours, adrenal hyperplasia or, least frequently, from extra-adrenal disease. Differentiation among these possibilities is often impossible on clinical or biochemical grounds alone. Location of the site(s) of excess hormone production in the past depended on relatively insensitive or invasive radiological methods. The non-invasive evaluation began with X-ray computed tomography but the functional significance of anatomical abnormalities cannot be determined from CT scan. Incorporation of specific radiopharmaceuticals into the abnormal tissues allows scintigraphic localization of functional abnormalities with a high degree of efficacy. The combination of adrenal scintigraphy and kompjuterizovanom tomografijom CT or magnetskom rezonancijom MRI should in most cases obviatc the need for more invasive procedures. Phaeochromocytoma is rare in hypertensive population, affecting only an estimated of 0.1%. However, a high index of suspicion is essential, since these tumours have potentially life-threatening cardiovascular effects and their successful resection is curative. Important clinical clues include the presence of orthostatic hypotension in an untreated hypertensive, resistance of hypertension to standard therapy (including possible exacerbation by (beta-blockers). In most cases, the diagnosis can be established by demonstrating high levels of free catecholamines and their metabolites (metanephrines and Vanillylmandelic acid). Clonidine test may be important in some cases. The purpose of this study is to point that metaiodobenzylguanidine (mlBG) has proved to be a safe, sensitive and highly specific agent for the location of phaeochromocytoma. The first successful schinigraphic demonstration of phaeochromocytomas in man was reported in 1981, using a new radiopharmaceutical, 131l-metaiodobenzylguanidinc (mlBG). mlBG is an aralkyl-guanidine which structurally resembles noradrenaline sufficiently to be recognized and be stored in the catecholamine storage vesicles. Whereas unstored noradrenaline is rapidly degraded, the halogenated benzyl ring of mlBG conlers resistance to catechol-o-methyltransferase (COMT) while its guanidino side-chain is resistant to monoamine oxidase (MAO). Uptake of mIBG is inhibited by some inhibitors (reserpine, tricyclic antidepressants, cocaine, labetalol, calcium-chanel blockers...). 131I-mlBG is normally taken up by liver, spleen, myocardium and salivary glands. Thyroid uptake ol liberated radioiodide will also occur unless the thyroid is blocked with stable iodide. The normal adrenal glands are usually not seen but faint uptake may be visible 48-72 h after injection in up to 16% of cases. Hepatic uptake is maximal at 24 h, declining to very low levels by 72 h (even more rapid in patients with phaeochromocytoma. Dosimetric corlsiderations limit the amount of 131l-mlBG that is administered for diagnostic studies. This, coupled with the low detection efficiency of gamma cameras for the 364 keV photon of 131l, led to the introduction of 131l-mlBG as an adrenomedullary scintigraphic agent of choice. In our department we started with mIBG scintigraphy in 1985 and we treated near 1000 patients. In this study we are talking about 180 patients from the beginning of 1996 to the end of 2001 all treated with 131l-mlBG. Like the other worldwide experience with this agent our sensitivity was 88.58% and specificity of 98.46%. Positive predictive value was 88.5% and negative predictive value was 93.46%. False negative results were 6.52% and there were no false positive results. After all we can say that mlBG has proved to be a safe, sensitive and highly specific agent for the location of phaeochromocytoma and neuroblastoma. Other radiolabelled aralkylamines have been examined as potential adrenal medullary scintigraphic agents. None has demonstrated superiority over mlBG in animal or limited human studies. 131l-mlBG should always be considered the radiopharmaceutical of choice for imaging purposes if it is available. 131l-mlBG in high doses is successfully used in therapy of malignant phaeochromocytoma and especially in nuroblastoma.
 ...
PMID:[Nuclear medicine diagnosis of pheochromocytoma with metaiodobenzylguanidine]. 1258 93

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the VMA/Cr and HVA/Cr of random urine in the diagnosis of neuroblastoma. METHODS: VMA/Cr and HVA/Cr were examined in 50 normal children and 11 cases of neuroblastoma (NB) aged 1 approximate, equals 5 years. The concentration of 4-hydroxy-3-methoxy-mandelic acid (VMA) and homovanillic acid (HVA) in random urine collection were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography and creatinine (Cr) analyzed by auto-biochemical analyzer. RESULTS: The normal range of VMA/Cr and HVA/Cr were <14.9 mmol/mol and <23.8 mmol/mol, respectively. The positive rate of VMA/Cr and HVA/Cr in NB patients was 90.9%. CONCLUSION: Determination of VMA/Cr and HVA/Cr in random urine collection can be used for NB diagnosis.
 ...
PMID:[Determination of VMA/Cr and HVA/Cr in random urine collection for the diagnosis of neuroblastoma] 1259 20


<< Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Next >>