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

Peripheral neuroepithelioma of soft tissue belongs to the group of peripheral neuroectodermal tumors (PNETs), but because of its clinical, biological, and morphological characteristics, it differs from other small, round-cell sarcomas that appear in children (neuroblastoma) or in the thoracopulmonary region (Askin's tumor) and bone (peripheral neuroectodermal sarcoma of bone). We report ten new cases of such PNET variety, based on their histologic, immunohistochemical, and electron microscopic findings. In all of these cases, the clinicopathologic correlations demonstrated high malignancy, with an ominous outcome in nine cases. The mean age of the patients was 32.6 years and there was a clear male predominance (eight men, two women). Histologically, the presence of Homer-Wright rosettes is mandatory for diagnosis, being complemented with positive immunohistochemistry for several neural immunomarkers using paraffin-embedded material. Neuron-specific enolase, E-36, HNK-1, and chromogranin neural markers proved to be positive in a high number of cases, but other markers (S-100 protein, synapto-physin, GFA protein, and neurofilaments [70 kilodalton]) were absent. Electron microscopy confirmed the presence of neural structures, both by scanning and transmission electron microscopy.
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PMID:Peripheral neuroectodermal sarcoma of soft tissue (peripheral neuroepithelioma): a pathologic study of ten cases with differential diagnosis regarding other small, round-cell sarcomas. 265 93

The prognosis of patients with advanced neuroblastoma remains poor despite recent progress in chemo/radiotherapy. Therapeutic trials on the induction of differentiation of neuroblastoma by chemical and biological agents have been attempted to improve patients' prognosis. Recently a new synthetic polyprenoic acid, E5166, having retinoic acid properties, has been described. In this study two human neuroblastoma cell lines, KP-N-RT(LN) and SK-N-DZ, were treated in vitro by E5166. Morphological differentiation of KP-N-RT(LN) and SK-N-DZ cells could be induced by E5166 in the presence of 1.7 X 10(-5) M E5166 for 10 days in culture. Levels of catecholamines (dopamine, adrenaline, and noradrenaline) were not elevated in the E5166-differentiated cells. E5166-induced differentiation may not be cyclic AMP dependent, since levels of cyclic AMP did not increase after exposure of cells to this agent. No significant increase in neuron-specific enolase levels could be demonstrated in E5166-treated neuroblastoma as compared to control untreated cells. E5166 treatment of KP-N-RT(LN) and SK-N-DZ cells was found to inhibit colony formation in soft agar in a dose-dependent manner. Colonies of KP-N-RT(LN) cells in the presence of E5166 showed morphological differentiation as defined by the expression of long neurite processes. E5166 is a less toxic reagent than the retinoic acids used for the induction of differentiation, it can be administered to patients p.o., and the concentration of E5166 which induces the morphological differentiation in vitro can be achievable in vivo. Therefore our study suggests that E5166 could be a useful therapeutic agent in advanced neuroblastoma to differentiate residual anaplastic tumor cells to a benign form (ganglioneuroma) after surgery and chemotherapy.
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PMID:Morphological differentiation of human neuroblastoma cell lines by a new synthetic polyprenoic acid (E5166). 282 May 69

Human central and peripheral nerve cell tumors were examined in detail using antibodies to calcineurin, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and neuron-specific enolase (NSE). Forty-eight formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded specimens of human neuronal tumors, including 27 medulloblastomas, were examined. Calcineurin-positive cells were found in all peripheral nerve cell tumors and the two gangliogliomas, whereas 20 of the 27 medulloblastomas and one of the two cerebral neuroblastomas did not contain calcineurin-positive cells. Differentiation of cells along the neuronal lines was positively correlated with calcineurin immunoreactivity. NSE-positive cells were found in all of the tumors with the exception of the one cerebral neuroblastoma. NSE immunoreactivity was not invariably consistent with calcineurin immunoreactivity and non-neuronal cells were often positive. Calcineurin-positive cells were all devoid of GFAP, but NSE-positive cells expressed GFAP in some tumors. GFAP-immunoreactive cells were found only in central nerve cell tumors, and not in peripheral tumors. In addition, GFAP-positive cells in some tumors such as retinoblastoma and medulloblastoma morphologically revealed not only neoplastic but also reactive astrocytic features.
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PMID:An immunocytochemical demonstration of calcineurin in human nerve cell tumors. A comparison with neuron-specific enolase and glial fibrillary acidic protein. 282 21

Human cell lines with neuronal and neuroendocrine features were examined for their expression of pp60c-src, the cellular homolog of the transforming gene product pp60v-src of Rous sarcoma virus. Four neuroblastoma (LA-N-5, SH-SY5Y, Paju, and SK-N-MC) and three small-cell lung carcinoma (U-2020, U-1690, and U-1285) cell lines were selected on the basis of their stage of neurocrine differentiation, as determined by the expression of neuron-specific enolase. In an immune complex protein kinase assay, all seven cell lines displayed c-src kinase activity which was considerably higher than that found in nonneurocrine cells (human diploid fibroblasts, glioma, and non-small cell lung carcinoma cell lines). Furthermore, the c-src kinase activity, as determined by autophosphorylation or phosphorylation of an exogenous substrate, enolase, correlated with the stage of neurocrine differentiation. There was an approximately 30-fold difference in c-src kinase autophosphorylation activity between the cell lines representing the highest and lowest stages of neurocrine differentiation. A similar variation was found in the steady-state levels of the c-src protein of these cell lines. Highly differentiated neuroblastoma cells expressed two forms of the src protein. Digestion by Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease did reveal structural diversity in the amino-terminal ends of these c-src molecules. In summary, we found a clear correlation between c-src kinase activity and the stage of neuronal and neuroendocrine differentiation. Thus, the phenotypic similarity between neurons and neuroendocrine cells includes high c-src expression.
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PMID:Expression of c-src in cultured human neuroblastoma and small-cell lung carcinoma cell lines correlates with neurocrine differentiation. 283 Apr 84

Renal tumors of childhood occasionally exhibit histopathologic and clinical features that preclude accurate diagnosis. Molecular and cell culture techniques may be helpful in better characterizing these cases. This approach was used to examine unusual bilateral renal tumors from a young boy. The left kidney tumor was an undifferentiated neoplasm with light microscopic features suggestive of both Wilms' tumor and neuroblastoma, and the right kidney tumor was identified as multilocular cystic nephroma (MLCN). In vitro tissue culture of tumor cells and hybridization experiments with an N-myc oncogene DNA probe contributed to a revised diagnosis of intrarenal neuroblastoma of the left kidney. A cell line established from the left tumor exhibited neurite outgrowth and was positive for neuron-specific enolase and synaptophysin. N-myc was greater than ten-fold amplified in chromosomal DNA from the left kidney tumor. Measurement of N-myc RNA expression enabled distinction between benign and malignant tumor tissue. The detection of N-myc gene amplification predicted a poor prognosis which was confirmed by the patient's subsequent clinical course.
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PMID:N-myc oncogene expression in histopathologically unrelated bilateral pediatric renal tumors. 283 41

Serum neuron-specific enolase (NSE) was measured in 61 children at diagnosis with all stages of neuroblastoma. The median serum values for Stages I, II, III, IV, and IV-S were 13, 23, 40, 214, and 40 ng/ml, respectively. Mean serum levels were different between groups I versus IV, (P = 0.0004) II versus IV (P = 0.0001) and IV-S versus IV (P = 0.004). The prognostic value of serum NSE for disease-free survival was determined in 54 patients at risk for relapse 2 or more years after diagnosis. The disease-free survival rate of all patients with levels of less than 100 ng/ml was 27/34 (79%), whereas it was 2/20 (10%) for those with higher levels. In 28 patients with lower stage disease and a good prognosis (Stages I, II, and IV-S) NSE levels were not predictive of relapse. Only 1 of these 28 patients had a raised level (greater than 100 ng/ml) and survived without relapse, whereas 4 patients who relapsed had serum NSE less than 100 ng/ml at diagnosis. In patients with Stages III and IV disease, a raised serum NSE level was associated with poor outcome: only 1/19 (5%) survived with NSE levels greater than 100 ng/ml, whereas survival was 5/8 (63%) with values below 100 ng/ml. Serial samples were analyzed on 17 patients; all 8 patients with initial NSE levels greater than 100 ng/ml achieved near normal levels during remission (median, 21 ng/ml). However, in only 4/10 patients studied at time of relapse, did the levels rise coincident with relapse. The sera of 47 patients with other forms of cancer and 19 siblings of cancer patients were at or near the normal limits (0-15 ng/ml), with three exceptions: acute lymphoblastic leukemia (286 ng/ml), hepatoblastoma (176 ng/ml), and primitive neuroectodermal tumor (105 ng/ml). Serum NSE is a useful marker for patients with advanced neuroblastoma in whom elevated levels were associated with a poor outcome; the raised NSE levels returned to near normal after therapy. In patients with Stage IV-S disease serum NSE levels were significantly lower than those in Stage IV despite their extensive tumor burden. Serum NSE estimation may confirm Stage IV-S status and suggest a more benign clinical course.
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PMID:Serum neuron-specific enolase in children with neuroblastoma. Relationship to stage and disease course. 300 99

The gamma-subunit of 2-phospho-D-glycerate hydrolyase, E.C. 4.2.1.11 (enolase), neuron-specific enolase (NSE), is present at high concentrations in neurons and neuroendocrine cells and has therefore recently been introduced as a marker for neuroendocrine tumors. By the indirect methods, immunocytochemistry and radioimmunoassay, NSE has been detected also in some nonneuroendocrine tumors, a finding that could reflect technical artifacts or the capacity for NSE expression in nonneuroendocrine tumor cells. This paper reports on the expression of NSE in human neuroendocrine and nonneuroendocrine tumor specimens and in a panel of permanent human cell lines, by using a direct (enzymatic) and an indirect (radioimmunoassay) method for determination of NSE. We detected NSE in all tested tumor specimens and neuroendocrine tumor cell lines and in a majority (21 of 24) of the nonneuroendocrine tumor cell lines. In general, neuroendocrine tumor specimens and derived tumor cell lines contained more NSE than the nonneuroendocrine tumor specimens and cell lines. However, some of the cultured hematopoietic cell lines (T leukemia and Epstein-Barr virus immortalized B lymphoblastoid cell lines) had NSE levels comparable to those found in some neuroblastoma and small-cell lung carcinoma cell lines. We conclude that NSE is not exclusively expressed in neuroendocrine tumor cells.
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PMID:Expression of gamma-subunit of enolase, neuron-specific enolase, in human non-neuroendocrine tumors and derived cell lines. 300 68

A new method for the determination of serum neuron-specific enolase is presented. It consists of two steps: first, an immunocapture of gamma-subunit containing isoenzymes by absorption on immobilized anti-gamma antibodies; second, bioluminescence assay of enolase activities in untreated control samples and in the supernates of antibody treated samples. Total and alpha alpha activities are obtained, from which the neuron-specific enolase activity (alpha gamma + gamma gamma) can then be calculated by difference. As compared to the procedures currently in use, the immunocapture method is very rapid (30 min) and is more suitable for small series of determinations as needed in clinical chemistry applications. Reference interval values for serum found by this method agree with published data. When tested with samples from patients suffering from neuroblastoma or small cell lung cancer, it confirms the specific elevations in neuron-specific enolase activity previously described for these cancers, using other analytical approaches.
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PMID:Determination of serum neuron-specific enolase by differential immunocapture. 302 76

Six patients with malignant retroperitoneal tumours causing considerable diagnostic difficulties are reported. In a retrospective investigation the presence of neuron-specific enolase (NSE) was analysed immunocytochemically in specimens of these tumours. In all the patients who had finally got the definite diagnosis neuroblastoma, tumour specimens had a strong reaction for NSE whereas all other tumours did not react. An analysis of NSE already at the primary investigation could have led to an earlier definite diagnosis.
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PMID:Immunocytochemical demonstration of neuron-specific enolase for differential diagnosis of retroperitoneal tumours in children. 303 22

Neuron-specific enolase-positive cells, some arranged in rosettes, were identified in smears obtained in fine-needle aspiration of a left retroperitoneal tumor found in a 3-yr-old boy. Nephrectomy showed a typical nephroblastoma with a prominent blastemic component revealing a positive reaction for neuron-specific enolase in blastemic and tubular components. Neuron-specific, enolase-positive, small malignant cells are not diagnostic of neuroblastoma when coming from a tumor of the retroperitoneum even if rosettes are present.
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PMID:Neuron-specific enolase-positive rosettes in nephroblastoma: a possible diagnostic pitfall in aspiration cytology. 303 39


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