Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0242379 (lung cancer)
 71,905 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The results of conventional treatments for lung cancer remain poor and long-term survival rates have changed little over the last 10 years. In the same period of time there has been an explosion in the knowledge on the processes of cellular transformation, tumour progression, invasion and metastasis. The major categories of biological events implicated in non-small cell lung cancer include growth factor receptors expression (epidermal growth receptor, p185c-neu), autocrine growth factor production (transforming growth factor alpha), dominant oncogenes activation (ras genes) and deletion of tumour suppressor genes (p53 gene, retinoblastoma gene) and these are some of the abnormalities associated with specific histological types and with poor prognosis. Additional prognostic information can be obtained from the evaluation of the ploidy and proliferative activity of the tumours, carbohydrate antigens expression, presence of neuroendocrine differentiation and the evaluation of markers of the sequential steps involved in the process of tumour dissemination.
Lung Cancer 1995 Apr
PMID:Biological prognostic factors in non-small cell lung cancer. 755 21

The observation that the proteins encoded by ras genes play a central role in the signalling pathways used by cells to respond to growth factors and the fact that mutated ras proteins are constantly promoting cell division have led to a PCR-based hunt for additional clinical information. In the present study, K-ras analysis draws the following conclusions: (1) K-ras point mutation frequency was higher in the surgery group (10 of 24 patients) than in the chemotherapy-surgery group (3 of 20 patients). (2) Mutated K-ras was predominantly observed at codon 12 but five mutations appeared at codon 61. (3) Mutations were identified in the squamous cell carcinoma histological NSCLC subtype except in four cases corresponding to adenocarcinoma. (4) A multifarious pattern of substitutions, especially at codon 12, were noted with aspartic K 12 substitutions more prone to develop bone metastases. (5) Although a genotypic K-ras classification of NSCLC may not yet be formulated, our accumulated data (unpublished) suggest a trend toward it. (6) Patients with mutated K-ras tumors in the surgery group had no different survival than those with normal K-ras. However our pooled data as well as other authors' results assert that mutated K-ras constitute an additional prognostic datum that deserves to be included together with TNM classification. In the design of new preoperative (neoadjuvant) chemotherapy trials, stratification of tumors by K-ras status deserves to be further investigated in order to correlate with response, relapse and survival. Mutated K-ras genotype merits further research. Finally, the paradigm of uneven histological distribution and mutated K-ras spectra among researchers should serve as a stimulus to search for further contributions in this field.
Lung Cancer 1995 Apr
PMID:Mutated K-ras gene analysis in a randomized trial of preoperative chemotherapy plus surgery versus surgery in stage IIIA non-small cell lung cancer. 755 35

Most of the presently available cancer markers are neither specific for malignancy nor allow early diagnosis. However, the recent elucidation of the molecular events occurring during tumorigenesis may provide new markers that are likely to be both specific for cancer and sensitive for early disease. The key molecules undergoing alterations during carcinogenesis are the cellular oncogenes and suppressor genes. Alterations in these genes can be detected in cells shed from malignant and premalignant lesions. Thus, mutant p53 genes have been found in urine from patients with bladder cancer, mutant ras genes in stools from patients with colorectal and pancreatic cancers, and both mutant p53 and ras genes in sputum from patients with lung cancer. These findings show that the genetic alterations in cancer can be detected in fluids or secretions that had contact with the malignant tissue. The preliminary studies, however, had small numbers of both patients and controls and used time-consuming, labor-intensive, and expensive assays. For routine applications, these assays must be simplified, automated, and tested for sensitivity, specificity, and predictive value.
 ...
PMID:Can molecular markers now be used for early diagnosis of malignancy? 758 9

This paper reviews mutational activation of ras oncogenes and inactivation of the p53 tumor suppressor gene in human lung cancer. We discuss the frequency, type, and location of mutations in these genes in relation to known etiological factors for lung cancer. The most studied examples of these are exposure to tobacco smoke, and to radon and asbestos fibers at work. We summarize data from our laboratory on K-ras and p53 mutations in fresh tissue samples from patients with resected primary lung carcinoma whose smoking and occupational histories were known. Most of the tumors examined were histologically non-small cell carcinoma (NSCLC), mainly of the squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma types. We compare the prevalence and nature of mutations in the two histological types of NSCLC.
 ...
PMID:p53 and ras gene mutations in lung cancer: implications for smoking and occupational exposures. 762 Sep 45

Parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHRP) is expressed in a large number of tumors and is the mediator of parathyroid hormone-like effects seen in humoral hypercalcemia of malignancy. The gene coding for PTHRP has been localised to the short arm of chromosome 12. This is at the same region as the oncogene KRAS2, and amplification of KRAS2 has previously been found in human lung cancer. The BEN cell line which is known to express PTHRP was established from a patient who had squamous cell carcinoma of the lung with hypercalcemia. Cytogenetic analysis of the BEN cell line revealed a very complex karyotype with many marker chromosomes. Chromosomal in situ hybridization with biotinylated DNA probes visualized by a biotin-streptavidin-polyalkaline-phosphatase complex was used to analyse two dicentric marker chromosomes containing homogeneously staining regions (hsr) in BEN. The hsr were found to contain amplified PTHRP and KRAS2 at levels of 30-fold and 14-fold per cell, respectively. The higher level of amplification of the PTHRP gene would suggest that PTHRP is the target gene of amplification in the amplicon. This is the first report of gene amplification of PTHRP and in addition its co-amplification with KRAS2.
 ...
PMID:Co-amplification of the gene for parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHRP) and KRAS2 in a human lung cancer cell line. 769 47

Tobacco smoke contains many mutagenic and carcinogenic chemicals. Both whole tobacco smoke and extracts induce tumors in experimental animals. Work with carcinogen-macromolecule adducts provided evidence for the action of specific chemicals. Molecular epidemiology studies suggested that point mutations in tumor-suppressor genes (e.g., p53) and oncogenes (e.g., ras) may be specific both for the type of tumor and for the critical environmental exposure. The consistency among investigations on oncogene/tumor-suppressor gene mutations in lung cancer (and other tobacco-related cancers) in smokers is highly suggestive, although we still lack information about the time sequence between exposure, gene mutation, and cancer onset. Current work that deserves emphasis includes investigations revealing that lungs of smokers contain benzo[a]pyrene diol-epoxide-guanine DNA adducts, which are in accordance with the type of mutations found in K-ras or p53 genes (G to T transversions). In addition, DNA in human exfoliated bladder cells showed a derivative of 4-aminobiphenyl as a main adduct; there was also an association between smoking habits (amount and type of tobacco) and the levels of both DNA adducts and hemoglobin adducts formed by aromatic amines. Increasing evidence indicates that genetically based metabolic polymorphisms exert a role in modulating individual susceptibility to the action of tobacco carcinogens. Overall, the weight of evidence strongly supports the causal nature of the association between smoking and cancer and falsifies Fisher's hypothesis that the association was due to confounding by genetic predisposition.
 ...
PMID:Tobacco and cancer: epidemiology and the laboratory. 773 63

Small cell lung cancers express neuroendocrine (NE) cell features, while most non-SCLC tumors lack these features. We studied the cytogenetic and genetic alterations in cell lines derived from three unusual subtypes of lung cancer: including carcinoids, non-small cell lung cancers expressing NE properties (NSCLC-NE) and extrapulmonary small cell cancers (ExPuSC) and compared them with those of SCLC and NSCLC lines. Our studies included: cytogenetic studies, restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analyses with 8 probes spanning commonly deleted loci on chromosomes 3p, 13q and 17p, retinoblastoma gene product (RB) expression, and mutations in the ras and p53 genes. We also summarize previously published data on in vitro chemosensitivity patterns and MDRl gene expression. Our studies demonstrate that all three of the NE cell subtypes have their own distinctive genotypes and phenotypes, each having some similarities and dissimilarities with SCLC and NSCLC.
 ...
PMID:Molecular genetic characterization of neuroendocrine lung cancer cell lines. 776 88

A wide range of genetic and phenotypic abnormalities have been identified in lung cancer. However, only a few are known to have an impact on patient outcome and thus may influence choice of therapy. Biologic and molecular factors known in this regard include the epidermal growth factor family and its receptors, markers of neuroendocrine differentiation in non-small cell lung cancer, and mutations of the ras gene family. None of these factors, however, can be considered a standard for selection of patients for therapy until additional information is gleaned from ongoing prospective studies.
 ...
PMID:Biologic and molecular prognostic factors--impact on treatment of patients with non-small cell lung cancer. 778 7

Reported estimates of ras mutation prevalence in lung adenocarcinoma of 15-24% may be underestimates because of the insensitivity of the assays used. We have devised a rapid, non-radioactive assay for ras mutations, which detects 1 mutant allele/10(3) normal alleles and have used it to study DNA isolated from 53 lung tumor samples (including 28 adenocarcinomas) previously analyzed by PCR/allele specific oligonucleotide hybridization, which is less sensitive. We detected mutations in 13 of 28 samples, including 7 not detected by PCR/allele specific oligonucleotide hybridization. We also found ras mutations in 14 of 25 previously unstudied samples (56%). Our results indicate that the prevalence of K-ras codon 12 mutations in lung adenocarcinoma is higher than previously reported; thus, ras mutations may be more clinically useful as molecular markers for lung cancer than has been appreciated.
 ...
PMID:Increased prevalence of K-ras oncogene mutations in lung adenocarcinoma. 788 50

We investigated preneoplastic lesions associated with lung cancer to determine at what stage in lung carcinogenesis K-ras mutations appear. We selected six archival lung cancer resection cases that had ras mutations. We precisely microdissected 74 relevant areas from paraffin-embedded sections. K-ras mutations at codons 12, 13, and 61 were determined by the designed restriction fragment length polymorphism method using mismatched nested primers and confirmed by direct sequencing. All samples of invasive and metastatic cancers had K-ras mutations, as did four of five lesions of noninvasive cancer. Mutations were detected in only 1 of 12 dysplastic lesions and were absent from hyperplastic and normal-appearing cells. In all cases, the specific point mutations and the mutational pattern in the tumors, metastases, and the corresponding noninvasive lesions were identical. These results indicate that K-ras mutations arise relatively late in the pathogenesis of lung cancer and may be associated with the appearance of the malignant phenotype.
 ...
PMID:K-ras mutations are a relatively late event in the pathogenesis of lung carcinomas. 795 6


<< Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next >>