Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0278488 (metastatic breast cancer)
 7,812 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The metabolic mechanism for increased circulating free fatty acids in post-menopausal women with metastatic breast cancer was investigated. Hormone and metabolic response to glucose and growth hormone were compared to cancer patients and control subjects; thyroid, adrenal and pituitary function were evaluated. The results of these studies indicated that breast cancer patients had glucose intolerance and delayed and prolonged insulin secretion, increased basal growth hormone levels and insensitivity of adipose tissue to growth hormone. Cortisol and protein-bound iodine levels were normal and there was no lipolytic factor in the sera of breast cancer patients. The changes observed in breast cancer patients were not attributable to age, obesity, inanition or stress. These metabolic abnormalities may characterize host susceptibility to breast cancer or be effects of tumor.
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PMID:Metabolic parameters in women with metastatic breast cancer. 4 95

Trilostane, which causes a perturbation of adrenal steroidogenesis, was studied in combination with hydrocortisone in 32 women with progressive metastatic breast cancer. Trilostane was administered orally at a dosage level of 240 mg four times daily after escalation over the first 10 days from 60 mg four times daily. Hydrocortisone was given orally at doses of 10 mg at 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. and 20 mg at bedtime. Patients must have been postmenopausal (81%) or previously castrated (19%), had a response to the hormonal treatment just prior to study (81%) or a positive estrogen receptor at time of entry on study (41%), and a measurable indicator lesion. The number of prior hormonal therapies was 1 in 19 patients (59%), 2 in 12 patients (38%), and 3 in 1 patient (3%), respectively. Twelve patients (38%) achieved an objective response, and a 95% confidence interval for this result is from 21 to 56%. The median time to disease progression was 140 days, median duration of response was 278 days, and median survival was 556 days. Common toxicities included lethargy, lightheadedness, diarrhea, and abdominal discomfort. Eleven patients required a dosage reduction, usually because of gastrointestinal side effects, and one additional patient had the trilostane discontinued because of leukopenia. We conclude that the combination of trilostane plus hydrocortisone appears to have definite antitumor activity in women with metastatic breast cancer who have characteristics favorable for response to hormonal therapy.
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PMID:Evaluation of trilostane plus hydrocortisone in women with metastatic breast cancer and prior hormonal therapy exposure. 231 87

We examined sleeping problems in women with metastatic breast cancer in relation to depression, social support, and salivary cortisol. Ninety-seven women with metastatic breast cancer were drawn from a larger study on the effects of group therapy on quality of life and survival. This study is based on the baseline assessments conducted prior to randomization into treatment conditions. Sleep, depression symptoms, and social support were assessed by self-reporting. Cortisol was assessed from saliva samples taken over a 3-day period. Medical status and demographic characteristics were also examined in relation to each sleep variable in multiple regression analysis. Most women (63%) reported one or more types of sleep disturbance and 37% reported using sleeping pills in the previous 30 days. Problems with falling to sleep were significantly related to greater pain and depressive symptoms. Problems of waking during the night were significantly associated with greater depression and less education. Problems in waking/getting up were significantly associated with greater depressive symptoms and less social support. Sleepiness during the day was not significantly related to the variables in the regression model. Fewer hours of sleep were significantly associated with metastases to the bone, higher depressive symptoms, and more social support. Women who reported sleeping 9 or more hours per night, compared to those who reported a moderate amount of sleep (6.5-8.5 hours), had significantly lower 9 p.m. cortisol levels. Use of sleeping pills was more frequent among women reporting greater pain and depressive symptoms. These results suggest that women with metastatic breast cancer who are at higher risk for having sleeping problems are those who are less educated, in pain, depressed, have bony metastases, or lack social support.
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PMID:Sleep disturbances in women with metastatic breast cancer. 1239 Mar 59

A flatter diurnal rhythm of cortisol has been reported to be associated with early mortality in patients with metastatic breast cancer. The clinical stage of disease at the time of diagnosis and the patient's performance status (PS) are known to be important prognostic factors for lung cancer (LC) survival. The authors examined the relationship between diurnal cortisol rhythms and these prognostic factors in patients with advanced LC. Cortisol concentrations were measured in saliva samples collected from 52 patients (37 males/15 females) with advanced LC and from 56 healthy subjects (32 males/24 females) to characterize the diurnal cortisol rhythm, specifically the cortisol awakening response (CAR) and diurnal cortisol decline (DCD). Variations of CAR and DCD in the patients were analyzed according to their clinical disease stage and PS score, and the differences in CAR and DCD between patients and healthy controls were compared. The patient group showed significantly reduced diurnal cortisol secretory activity and rhythmicity, compared with healthy controls. When the patients were subgrouped according to their clinical disease stage, patients with stage 4 disease showed significantly reduced CAR and flatter DCD compared with the healthy controls. However, the CAR and DCD in patients with stage 3a and 3b disease were comparable to those of healthy controls. Neither the CAR nor the DCD showed stepwise changes as the disease stage worsened. When patients were subgrouped according to their Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) PS score, there was stepwise reduction in the CAR and flattening of the DCD as the PS score increased. Both an abolished CAR and a flattened DCD were common in patients with ECOG PS scores of 3 and 4. These results indicate that alteration of the diurnal cortisol rhythm in patients with advanced LC is more closely associated with their PS score than with their clinical disease stage. Gradual alteration of the CAR and DCD, indicative of loss of 24-h cortisol rhythm, in concert with increase in PS score implies that endogenous circadian rhythms may also be disintegrating as the PS score worsens in these patients.
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PMID:Association of worse prognosis with an aberrant diurnal cortisol rhythm in patients with advanced lung cancer. 2288 41