Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UNIPROT:P61278 (somatostatin)
 22,083 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Neuro-endocrine tumours of the abdomen have long constituted a therapeutic challenge. Although characterised by slow growth rates, these tumours produce peptides and amines which in turn give rise to more or less severe clinical symptoms. Surgery has been deemed the treatment of choice, and is to be considered even in cases of metastasising disease. Medical treatment includes chemotherapy, and treatment with somatostatin analogues and interferons. By means of long-term treatment with alpha-interferon (leukocyte interferon), the disease can be controlled for long periods.
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PMID:[Interferon treatment in neuroendocrine tumors]. 134 21

Surgery has always been considered to be the primary treatment in patients with neuroendocrine gut and pancreatic tumors, but a significant number of patients present liver metastases already at the first visit. There is obviously a need for effective medical treatment and in the present paper we report our experience of treatment with chemotherapy, the somatostatin analogue SMS 201-995 and interferons. In 30 patients with malignant endocrine pancreatic tumors, chemotherapy including streptozotocin plus 5-fluorouracil had an objective response rate of 63% with a mean duration of the objective response of 17.4 months. There was a difference between clinically functioning and nonfunctioning tumors, which had objective response rates of 68% and 50% and mean response duration of 21 and 9.4 months respectively. The new somatostatin analogue SMS 201-995 was used in 10 patients giving an objective response rate of 40% with a mean duration of 13.5 months. In a series of 22 patients treated with human leukocyte interferon, an objective response rate of 77% was obtained with a mean duration of 8.5 months. A combination of streptozotocin plus 5-fluorouracil gave an objective response rate of 10% with a mean duration of 2.7 months among 31 patients with midgut carcinoid tumors. The somatostatin analogue SMS 201-995, tested in 22 patients with carcinoid tumors, gave an objective response rate of 28% with a mean duration of 18.5 months. Interferon has been tried in three separate studies. The first study, including 36 patients with malignant carcinoid tumors treated with human leukocyte interferon, showed an objective response rate of 47% with a mean duration of 34 months. In a randomized controlled study, where human leukocyte interferon was compared with streptozotocin plus 5-fluorouracil including 10 patients in each arm, no objective response was obtained during the six months' observation in the group of patients receiving chemotherapy, whereas 50% responded in the interferon-treated group. In the third study, IFN-alpha 2b or IntronA was tested in 20 patients with malignant carcinoid tumors and gave an objective response rate of 55% during a six-month observation period. With regard to these data chemotherapy and interferons seem to be equally potent in the treatment of malignant endocrine pancreatic tumors, whereas interferons seem to be superior to both chemotherapy and the somatostatin analogue SMS 201-995 in malignant carcinoid tumors. The somatostatin analogue has proved to be particularly useful in the treatment of patients with severe hormone-related clinical symptoms and in the perioperative period.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
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PMID:Medical treatment of neuroendocrine gut and pancreatic tumors. 247 26

A 69 year-old male with carcinoid syndrome and undetectable primary tumour, but disseminated liver metastases, was treated with somatostatin analogue octreotide (Sandostatin) and later additionally with recombinant interferon alpha 2 b (r IFN alpha 2 b, Intron A). The carcinoid symptoms (flushing, diarrhoea) were stopped within hours by octreotide. Simultaneously, the urinary 5-hydroxyindolacetic acid (5-HIAA) excretion and serum serotonin levels decreased by more than 50%. In spite of continued treatment with r IFN alpha 2 b a reduction in dosage of octreotide resulted in a rapid recurrence of carcinoid symptoms, suggesting that IFN alpha 2 b had no effect on the carcinoid symptoms in this patient. Since, furthermore, no regression of the tumour mass was observed, treatment with IFN was stopped after 8 months. During 15 months of treatment to date the patient has been kept free of symptoms by octreotide.
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PMID:[Therapy of metastatic carcinoid with the somatostatin analog octreotide and with recombinant interferon alfa 2b]. 276 66

Neuroendocrine liver metastases are rare, yet they represent an entity that has attracted much attention lately. The protracted course of neuroendocrine tumors and the hormone origin of their typical incapacitating symptoms constitute a logical basis for well founded and bespoke treatment. Demonstration of the liver secondaries is best done by ultrasonography (US) and contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT), which on the whole have replaced the invasive angiography techniques. By use of histochemical and molecular biologic methods the exact nature of the tumor can be typified in tissue samples obtained percutaneously, laparoscopically, or surgically. Localization of nonpalpable metastases of the liver is best done by intraoperative US. Surgical removal of liver metastases is curative in some cases and is usually effective in relieving the symptoms. Also, palliative debulking or cytoreductive surgery is often worthwhile as it offers a chance of prolonged survival and symptom relief. Similar benefits are achieved by ischemic therapy preferably by temporary dearterialization, which in our department is done on an outpatient basis using a specially designed (externally controlled) occluder applied during a single laparotomy that includes debulking when appropriate as well as cholecystectomy. Hormonal therapy with somatostatin analogs may be used as a single treatment or in combination with ischemic therapy. It has an ensured symptom-reducing effect, whereas its influence on tumor growth is unsettled. Lately similar effects have been ascribed to human leukocyte interferon. In conclusion the specific characteristics of neuroendocrine tumors and the available treatment arsenal favor an active treatment approach in patients who have developed liver metastases.
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PMID:Neuroendocrine metastases of the liver. 774 Aug 14