scholarly journals Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors: A Review of Case Reports, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Future Directions

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher B. Tan ◽  
Wanqing Zhi ◽  
Ghulamullah Shahzad ◽  
Paul Mustacchia

Gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) is a nonepithelial, mesenchymal tumor first described by Mazur and Clark in 1983. Since then, its molecular biology has been studied in great detail. Special interest in the role of tyrosine kinase in its regulation has been the target by different drug research. Mutation in c-kit exons 9, 11, 13, 17 and PDGFRA mutation in exons 12, 14, 18 are responsible for activation of gene signaling system resulting in uncontrolled phosphorylation and tissue growth. However, 5 to 15% of GISTs does not harbor these mutations, which raises additional questions in another alternate signaling pathway mutation yet to be discovered. Diagnosis of GISTs relies heavily on KIT/CD117 immunohistochemical staining, which can detect most GISTs except for a few 3% to 5% that harbors PDGFRA mutation. Newer staining against PKC theta and DOG-1 genes showed promising results but are not readily available. Clinical manifestation of GISTs is broad and highly dependent on tumor size. Surgery still remains the first-line treatment for GISTs. The advancement of molecular biology has revolutionized the availability of newer drugs, Imatinib and Sunitinib. Together with its advancement is the occurrence of Imatinib/Sunitinib drug resistance. With this, newer monoclonal antibody drugs are being developed and are undergoing clinical trials to hopefully improve survival in patients with GISTs.

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Taylor Anne Wilson ◽  
Lei Huang ◽  
Dinesh Ramanathan ◽  
Miguel Lopez-Gonzalez ◽  
Promod Pillai ◽  
...  

Although the majority of meningiomas are slow-growing and benign, atypical and anaplastic meningiomas behave aggressively with a penchant for recurrence. Standard of care includes surgical resection followed by adjuvant radiation in anaplastic and partially resected atypical meningiomas; however, the role of adjuvant radiation for incompletely resected atypical meningiomas remains debated. Despite maximum treatment, atypical, and anaplastic meningiomas have a strong proclivity for recurrence. Accumulating mutations over time, recurrent tumors behave more aggressively and often become refractory or no longer amenable to further surgical resection or radiation. Chemotherapy and other medical therapies are available as salvage treatment once standard options are exhausted; however, efficacy of these agents remains limited. This review discusses the risk factors, classification, and molecular biology of meningiomas as well as the current management strategies, novel therapeutic approaches, and future directions for managing atypical and anaplastic meningiomas.


2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (146) ◽  
pp. 170082 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paola Faverio ◽  
Francesco Bini ◽  
Adriano Vaghi ◽  
Alberto Pesci

In the present review we provide currently available evidence for the use of macrolides in the treatment of diffuse interstitial lung diseases (ILDs). Up to now, research on macrolides has mainly focused on three areas. First, macrolides have shown some promising results in cellular models and case reports as antifibrotic agents, by promoting autophagy and clearance of intracellular protein aggregates and acting as regulators of surfactant homeostasis. Secondly, macrolides have an immunomodulatory effect, which has been applied in some organising pneumonia cases. In particular, macrolides have been tested in association with systemic corticosteroids as steroid-sparing agents and alone as either first-line agents in mild cases or second-line agents where steroids were poorly tolerated or had failed. Thirdly, a recent area of research concerns the possible role of macrolides as modulators of lung microbiota and the host–microbiota interaction. This function has been particularly studied in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis patients, in whom changes in microbiota have been proved to be associated with disease progression. However, the lack of high-quality studies makes the application of macrolide therapy in ILDs a field in which research should be conducted on a large scale.


2001 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 166-176 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew G Renehan ◽  
Simon P Bach ◽  
Christopher S Potten

Intestinal epithelium is a rapidly renewing tissue in which cell homeostasis is regulated by a balance among proliferation, growth arrest, differentiation and apoptosis (programmed cell death). Until recently, studies on oncogenesis have focused on the regulation of cell proliferation. The recognition that apoptosis must be understood to comprehend how appropriate cell numbers are maintained and how alterations in any part of the equation can contribute to malignancy has led to an explosion of research in this field. The first half of this review gives an overview of morphology and mechanisms of apoptosis, emphasizing key areas of genetic control such as thebcl-2family andp53. The second half of the review focuses on the role of apoptosis in normal cellular homeostasis and tumorigenesis in the gastrointestinal epithelium. The importance of understanding the molecular biology of apoptotic pathways in cancer therapy and future directions are also addressed.


Author(s):  
Benjamin F. Trump ◽  
Irene K. Berezesky ◽  
Raymond T. Jones

The role of electron microscopy and associated techniques is assured in diagnostic pathology. At the present time, most of the progress has been made on tissues examined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and correlated with light microscopy (LM) and by cytochemistry using both plastic and paraffin-embedded materials. As mentioned elsewhere in this symposium, this has revolutionized many fields of pathology including diagnostic, anatomic and clinical pathology. It began with the kidney; however, it has now been extended to most other organ systems and to tumor diagnosis in general. The results of the past few years tend to indicate the future directions and needs of this expanding field. Now, in addition to routine EM, pathologists have access to the many newly developed methods and instruments mentioned below which should aid considerably not only in diagnostic pathology but in investigative pathology as well.


2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 233-249 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Bonetto ◽  
Fabien Girandola ◽  
Grégory Lo Monaco

Abstract. This contribution consists of a critical review of the literature about the articulation of two traditionally separated theoretical fields: social representations and commitment. Besides consulting various works and communications, a bibliographic search was carried out (between February and December, 2016) on various databases using the keywords “commitment” and “social representation,” in the singular and in the plural, in French and in English. Articles published in English or in French, that explicitly made reference to both terms, were included. The relations between commitment and social representations are approached according to two approaches or complementary lines. The first line follows the role of commitment in the representational dynamics: how can commitment transform the representations? This articulation gathers most of the work on the topic. The second line envisages the social representations as determinants of commitment procedures: how can these representations influence the effects of commitment procedures? This literature review will identify unexploited tracks, as well as research perspectives for both areas of research.


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 205-211
Author(s):  
Kaynat Fatima ◽  
Syed Tasleem Raza ◽  
Ale Eba ◽  
Sanchita Srivastava ◽  
Farzana Mahdi

The function of protein kinases is to transfer a γ-phosphate group from ATP to serine, threonine, or tyrosine residues. Many of these kinases are linked to the initiation and development of human cancer. The recent development of small molecule kinase inhibitors for the treatment of different types of cancer in clinical therapy has proven successful. Significantly, after the G-protein-coupled receptors, protein kinases are the second most active category of drug targets. Imatinib mesylate was the first tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI), approved for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) treatment. Imatinib induces appropriate responses in ~60% of patients; with ~20% discontinuing therapy due to sensitivity, and ~20% developing drug resistance. The introduction of newer TKIs such as, nilotinib, dasatinib, bosutinib, and ponatinib has provided patients with multiple options. Such agents are more active, have specific profiles of side effects and are more likely to reach the necessary milestones. First-line treatment decisions must be focused on CML risk, patient preferences and comorbidities. Given the excellent result, half of the patients eventually fail to seek first-line treatment (due to discomfort or resistance), with many of them needing a third or even further therapy lines. In the present review, we will address the role of tyrosine kinase inhibitors in therapy for chronic myeloid leukemia.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document