Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0153690 (bone metastases)
 6,382 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Bone is a common site for metastatic colonization in patients with breast cancer, hence the importance of identifying new treatments for this disease. Preclinical studies of bone metastases have commonly employed MDA-MB-231 cells that possess an activated KRAS allele. While activating RAS mutations are relatively rare in human breast cancer, increased RAS-RAF-MEK pathway activity is common in high-grade breast cancers. To study the consequences of MEK inhibition on bone metastases stemming from the intra-cardiac injection of luciferase-expressing MDA-MB-231 cells in mice, we used the MEK inhibitor AZD6244 (Selumetinib). We found that AZD6244 treatment caused decreased tumor bioluminescence that was associated with cavitation of the bone metastases, owing to apoptosis of cells specifically within the central region of the bone lesions. Hypothesizing that the latter effect was due to the increased sensitivity of poorly perfused regions to pro-apoptotic stimuli, we found that the combination of serum deprivation and AZD6244 led to dramatic induction pf MDA-MB-231 apoptosis in vitro. Our results suggest that MEK inhibition may be a strategy for triggering cell death within the hypoperfused, oxygen and nutrient poor regions of tumors with activated RAS alleles.
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PMID:Selumetinib produces a central core of apoptosis in breast cancer bone metastases in mice. 2562 Dec 97

Sinonasal mucosal melanoma (SMM) is an aggressive and rare type of melanoma. Although the classic RAS-RAF-MEK pathway is thought to be the main pathway involved in melanoma pathogenesis, genetic alterations in the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-AKT pathway, including PTEN-regulated signaling, are also thought to contribute. So far, data regarding altered PTEN expression and epigenetic mechanism of PTEN silencing in development of SMM is extremely limited. Herein we report on a case of SMM with liver and bone metastases with an epigenetic alteration of PTEN. Results of mutation analysis for BRAF, NRAS, HRAS, KRAS, PIK3CA, c-Kit, and PTEN were negative; however, methylation of PTEN CpG islands was observed. Our case not only supports PTEN as a major tumor suppressor involved in melanoma tumorigenesis, but also a potential epigenetic mechanism of PTEN silencing in development of SMM.
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PMID:PTEN Methylation Dependent Sinonasal Mucosal Melanoma. 2579 73