Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0598934 (tumor growth)
 58,965 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Carcinoma of the bronchus can produce several polypeptide hormones and therefore has the capacity to cause most syndromes of endocrine hyperfunction. All pituitary hormones can be synthesized ectopically; furthermore, the production of hormones from the hypothalamus (CRF), the placenta (HCG, HPL) and the C-cells of the thyroid (calcitonin), as well as parathormone and prostaglandins has been described. The paraneoplastic syndrome may often be more dangerous for the patient than the tumor growth itself, and can lead to early death. On the other hand, it may allow the early detection of an unsuspected tumor. The ectopic hormones and other nonendocrine proteins and peptides can be used as tumor markers, and can demonstrate the effect of treatment and early recurrence or metastases. An ideal tumor marker should have the following characteristics: 1. production exclusively by neoplastic tissue, 2. direct correlation with tumor size, 3. substances common to all tumor types ("large spectrum tumor marker") although specific tumor markers for special tumors should be available, 4. the assays must be easy and automation should be possible. At present no tumor marker satisfies all these conditions. The measurement of several tumor markers and the use of discriminant analysis may extend their diagnostic value and open the way for biochemical detection of cancer in the future.
 ...
PMID:[Ectopic hormone formation and tumor markers in bronchial neoplasms]. 22 36

Among the three placental proteins discussed, HCG is the only clinically useful tumor marker, and the value of HCG measurements is restricted to patients with gestational and nongestational trophoblastic disease. In patients with gestational trophoblastic disease, HCG levels may serve as an adjunct for the diagnosis, provide prognostic information, and be an objective parameter to evaluate the effects of therapy. Little or no additional information is obtained from HPL or SP-1 measurements. In patients with germ cell neoplasms of the testis, HCG measurements add useful information for clinical staging and monitoring of therapy, although discordance between tumor growth and HCG levels can be found in patients whose tumors contain several different elements. Therefore, AFP measurements must be made as well in these patients to monitor disease activity. Neither HPL nor SP-1 measurements are useful in these patients. None of the placental proteins are useful for screening, as prognostic indicators, or for evaluating the effects of therapy in groups of patients with nontrophoblastic neoplasms. In some patients with nontrophoblastic malignancies, each of the markers may accurately reflect changes in tumor burden during therapy. However, the problems with specificity and sensitivity of the tests and the fact that the majority of patients whose tumors produce the hormone have circulating concentrations that are at the limits of detection of the assays decrease the utility of these measurements and render them cost-ineffective for routine patient care.
 ...
PMID:Placental proteins as tumor markers. 171 70

In this study we examined the expression of EGF receptor mRNA after EGF administration in hCG producing tumor (choriocarcinoma). We transplanted the tissue of choriocarcinoma into female nude mice and investigated the effects of EGF on the growth of tumors, the binding activity of EGF receptor and the expression of EGF receptor mRNA in the tumor tissues. Two doses of EGF 5.0 micrograms, 50 micrograms and phosphate buffered saline as a control were injected subcutaneously every day for four weeks. Removed tumors were used for immunocytochemical studies and EGF receptor mRNA investigations. HCG and EGF receptors were detected immunocytochemically in the tumor. The low dose EGF employed stimulated the tumor growth while the high dose EGF inhibited the tumor growth compared with that of the control group. The binding activity of EGF receptor and the expression of EGF receptor mRNA also changed in accordance with the stimulation or inhibition of tumor growth. The growth of hCG producing tumor by EGF administration appeared to be dependent upon the binding activity of EGF receptor and the expression of EGF receptor mRNA.
 ...
PMID:Effect of EGF administration on EGF receptor mRNA in hCG producing tumor. 225 86

Of 36 cases of choriocarcinoma treated at the University Hospital Kuala Lumpur during 1980-84 inclusive, 6 patients were found to have cerebral metastases. Intrathecal methotrexate and combination chemotherapy were started in all cases, with monitoring of tumor growth by serial beta-HCG assays and CT scanning of brain and lung. Chemotherapy was reduced because of severe toxicity in 2 patients, one of whom received radiotherapy to the brain. Four patients (66%) have now been in remission for 2.5-6 years. Two did not respond to therapy and died. The factors involved in therapy and response are discussed.
 ...
PMID:Cerebral metastases from choriocarcinoma. Results of chemotherapy. 342 44

The germinal cell tumor represents the most common malignancy of the testicular tissues. Benign testis tumors are exceptional, and in this situation organ preservation should be considered. The adenomatoid tumor is the most common paratesticular type with anatomic distribution limited to the epididymis, testicular membranes and rarely to the spermatic cord. Its intratesticular localization is very rare. We report here the clinical case of a 32-year-old man with a testicular tumor who came to our department with a 6-month growth of a testicular mass (normal alpha-fetoprotein and beta-HCG). The pathologic report revealed a solid and small tumor at the lower pole of the testicle with total intratesticular tumor growth (adenomatoid tumor of intratesticular localization). Because of its rarity, the clinical, diagnostic and therapeutic aspects and the possibilities of testicular preservation are discussed.
 ...
PMID:Adenomatoid tumor of intratesticular localization. 885 81

In mature and immature teratoma the treatment is surgical. The risk of recurrence can be estimated from the parameters primary site (with the coccygeal tumors being most at risk), histological grade of immaturity and completeness of the primary resection including the adjacent organ of origin (coccyx, ovary, testis etc.). In case of a microscopically complete tumor resection there is no role for adjuvant chemo- or radiotherapy irrespective of the histological grade of immaturity. Malignant germ-cell tumors (GCT) account for 2.9% of all malignant tumors of children younger than 15 years of age. More than half of the tumors occur at extragonadal sites such as the ovaries (26%), the coccygeal region (24%), the testes (18%) and the brain (18%) represent then primary sites. In patients with extensive tumor growth, metastatic disease or secreting intracranial tumors a delayed tumor resection after preoperative chemotherapy is preferable. In these patients malignant non-seminomatous GCT may be diagnosed clinically due to the increased serum or cerebrospinal fluid levels of the tumor markers AFP and/or beta-HCG. Current risk adapted treatment protocols containing cisplatinum allow long-term remissions in about 80% including patients with bulky or metastatic tumors. In the cisplatinum era the prognostic factors like histology, primary site of the tumor and initial tumor stage have partly lost their former impressive significance in infants and children. On the other hand the completeness of the primary tumor resection according to oncological standards has been established as the most powerful prognostic parameter superior to tumor marker levels or primary site of the tumor.
 ...
PMID:Germ-cell tumors in childhood and adolescence. GPOH MAKEI and the MAHO study groups. 1081 91

Clinical oncologists have always shown great interest in circulating tumor markers. There are several markers that in the clinical routine are a signal of particular tumor types; some of them are strictly tissue-specific such as prostatic specific antigen (PSA) for prostatic cancer, AFP and HCG for germ cell tumors of the testis and ovary, others such as CA 15.3, CA125, CEA or cytokeratins are less specific since their elevations can be found in different varieties of cancers even if they are preferentially associated to a certain tumor type, thus are considered markers for breast, ovarian cancer and colon adenocarcinoma. The most useful clinical applications of these parameters is their determination during the follow-up of the treated patients, in order to detect the tumor recurrence early, and also to evaluate the evolution of the disease by monitoring the treatment responses. During follow-up, increasing levels of tumor markers can be observed even several months before the clinical demonstration of cancer recurrence. The association of tumor marker tests with imaging modalities can lead to several advantages: the first is to confirm the diagnosis of relapses, possibly before the appearence of the related clinical symptoms due to tumor growth; the second is to localize the sites of lesions, while tumor markers provide only a general indication of the existence of metastases; the third is to make possible a correct whole body restaging. In the assessment of cancer response tumor markers are often very reliable and their changes are faster than the morphological ones. Among all the imaging modalities, nuclear medicine plays an important role in detecting recurrences and metastatic localizations as it is able to investigate functional rather than morphological aspects of tumors, and provide different information in comparison to morphologic imaging. In addition, the scintigraphic techniques offer the possibility to evaluate treatment responses, confirming or not the information from biochemical changes. This review aims to show some examples (breast, prostate and ovarian cancer) in which the combination of nuclear medicine imaging modalities and tumor marker tests is proposed for clinical practice. The advantages and some critical aspects are discussed on the basis of the clinical findings and the most important clinical indications are described.
 ...
PMID:Circulating tumor markers and nuclear medicine imaging modalities: breast, prostate and ovarian cancer. 1211 72