TY - JOUR A1 - Vetrivel, Sharmilee A1 - Zhang, Ru A1 - Engel, Mareen A1 - Altieri, Barbara A1 - Braun, Leah A1 - Osswald, Andrea A1 - Bidlingmaier, Martin A1 - Fassnacht, Martin A1 - Beuschlein, Felix A1 - Reincke, Martin A1 - Chen, Alon A1 - Sbiera, Silviu A1 - Riester, Anna T1 - Circulating microRNA Expression in Cushing’s Syndrome JF - Frontiers in Endocrinology N2 - Context Cushing’s syndrome (CS) is a rare disease of endogenous hypercortisolism associated with high morbidity and mortality. Diagnosis and classification of CS is still challenging. Objective Circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) are minimally invasive diagnostic markers. Our aim was to characterize the circulating miRNA profiles of CS patients and to identify distinct profiles between the two major CS subtypes. Methods We included three groups of patients from the German Cushing’s registry: ACTH-independent CS (Cortisol-Producing-Adenoma; CPA), ACTH-dependent pituitary CS (Cushing’s Disease; CD), and patients in whom CS had been ruled out (controls). Profiling of miRNAs was performed by next-generation-sequencing (NGS) in serum samples of 15 CS patients (each before and after curative surgery) and 10 controls. Significant miRNAs were first validated by qPCR in the discovery cohort and then in an independent validation cohort of 20 CS patients and 11 controls. Results NGS identified 411 circulating miRNAs. Differential expression of 14 miRNAs were found in the pre- and postoperative groups. qPCR in the discovery cohort validated 5 of the significant miRNAs from the preoperative group analyses. Only, miR-182-5p was found to be significantly upregulated in the CD group of the validation cohort. Comparing all CS samples as a group with the controls did not reveal any significant differences in expression. Outcome In conclusion, our study identified miR-182-5p as a possible biomarker for CD, which has to be validated in a prospective cohort. Furthermore, our results suggest that presence or absence of ACTH might be at least as relevant for miRNA expression as hypercortisolism itself. KW - cortisol KW - ACTH KW - miRNA KW - biomarker KW - cortisol-producing adenoma KW - miR-182-5p KW - hypercortisolism KW - miR-183 cluster Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-229761 SN - 1664-2392 VL - 12 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Drechsler, Christiane A1 - Ritz, Eberhard A1 - Tomaschitz, Andreas A1 - Pilz, Stefan A1 - Schönfeld, Stephan A1 - Blouin, Katja A1 - Bidlingmaier, Martin A1 - Hammer, Fabian A1 - Krane, Vera A1 - März, Winfried A1 - Allolio, Bruno A1 - Fassnacht, Martin A1 - Wanner, Christoph T1 - Aldosterone and cortisol affect the risk of sudden cardiac death in haemodialysis patients JF - European Heart Journal N2 - Background: Sudden cardiac death is common and accounts largely for the excess mortality of patients on maintenance dialysis. It is unknown whether aldosterone and cortisol increase the incidence of sudden cardiac death in dialysis patients. Methods and results: We analysed data from 1255 diabetic haemodialysis patients participating in the German Diabetes and Dialysis Study (4D Study). Categories of aldosterone and cortisol were determined at baseline and patients were followed for a median of 4 years. By Cox regression analyses, hazard ratios (HRs) were determined for the effect of aldosterone, cortisol, and their combination on sudden death and other adjudicated cardiovascular outcomes. The mean age of the patients was 66 ± 8 years (54% male). Median aldosterone was <15 pg/mL (detection limit) and cortisol 16.8 µg/dL. Patients with aldosterone levels >200 pg/mL had a significantly higher risk of sudden death (HR: 1.69; 95% CI: 1.06–2.69) compared with those with an aldosterone <15 pg/mL. The combined presence of high aldosterone (>200 pg/mL) and high cortisol (>21.1 µg/dL) levels increased the risk of sudden death in striking contrast to patients with low aldosterone (<15 pg/mL) and low cortisol (<13.2 µg/dL) levels (HR: 2.86, 95% CI: 1.32–6.21). Furthermore, all-cause mortality was significantly increased in the patients with high levels of both hormones (HR: 1.62, 95% CI: 1.01–2.62). Conclusions: The joint presence of high aldosterone and high cortisol levels is strongly associated with sudden cardiac death as well as all-cause mortality in haemodialysed type 2 diabetic patients. Whether a blockade of the mineralocorticoid receptor decreases the risk of sudden death in these patients must be examined in future trials. KW - mortality KW - kidney disease KW - cardiovascular events KW - sudden cardiac death KW - cortisol KW - aldosterone Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-132562 VL - 34 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Johanssen, Sarah A1 - Hahner, Stefanie A1 - Saeger, Wolfgang A1 - Quinkler, Marcus A1 - Beuschlein, Felix A1 - Dralle, Henning A1 - Haaf, Michaela A1 - Kroiss, Matthias A1 - Jurowich, Christian A1 - Langer, Peter A1 - Oelkers, Wolfgang A1 - Spahn, Martin A1 - Willenberg, Holger S. A1 - Maeder, Uwe A1 - Allolio, Bruno A1 - Fassnacht, Martin T1 - Deficits in the Management of Patients With Adrenocortical Carcinoma in Germany N2 - Background: Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare tumor with a poor prognosis. Often, the physicians who first treat patients with ACC have no prior experience with the disease. The aim of our study was to evaluate the quality of medical care for patients with ACC in Germany. Methods: Data from the German ACC registry were analyzed with regard to the patients’ preoperative diagnostic evaluation, histopathological reporting, and clinical followup. The findings were compared with the recommendations of the European Network for the Study of Adrenal Tumors (ENSAT). Results: Data were analyzed from 387 patients who had been given an initial diagnosis of ACC in the years 1998 to 2009. 21% of them underwent no hormonal evaluation before surgery, and 59% underwent an inadequate hormonal evaluation. This exposed the patients to unnecessary perioperative risks and impaired their follow-up. 48% did not undergo CT scanning of the chest, even though the lungs are the most frequent site of metastases of ACC. For 13% of the patients, the diagnosis of ACC was later revised by a reference pathologist. For 11% of the patients, the histopathology report contained no information about resection status, even though this is an important determinant of further treatment and prognosis. Optimal management requires re-staging at three-month intervals, yet some patients underwent re-staging only after a longer delay, or not at all. Conclusion: We have identified significant deficits in the care of patients with ACC in Germany. We suspect that the situation is similar for other rare diseases. The prerequisite to better care is close and early cooperation of the treating physicians with specialized centers. Y1 - 2010 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-85897 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Detomas, Mario A1 - Ritzel, Katrin A1 - Nasi-Kordhishti, Isabella A1 - Wolfsberger, Stefan A1 - Quinkler, Marcus A1 - Losa, Marco A1 - Tröger, Viola A1 - Kroiss, Matthias A1 - Fassnacht, Martin A1 - Vila, Greisa A1 - Honegger, Jürgen Bernd A1 - Reincke, Martin A1 - Deutschbein, Timo T1 - Outcome of CRH stimulation test and overnight 8 mg dexamethasone suppression test in 469 patients with ACTH-dependent Cushing’s syndrome JF - Frontiers in Endocrinology N2 - Objective To evaluate diagnostic accuracy of the corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) stimulation test and the overnight 8 mg dexamethasone suppression test (DST) for the differentiation of Cushing’s disease (CD) and ectopic Cushing’s syndrome (ECS). Methods Retrospective study in 6 European centers. Inclusion criteria: patients with a) overt adrenocorticotropin (ACTH)-dependent Cushing’s syndrome at the time of dynamic testing, b) histopathological confirmed tumors and/or c) postoperative biochemical remission and/or adrenal insufficiency. Optimal cut-offs were calculated via receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis using CD as reference. Results 469 patients were analyzed [78% females; median age 43 years (IQR 19)]. CRH test and overnight 8 mg DST were performed in 420 [CD, n=394 (94%); ECS, n=26 (6%)] and 237 patients [228 CD (96%), 9 ECS (4%)]. Both tests were performed in 205 patients (44%). The post-CRH %-increase at 30 minutes of both ACTH (cut-off ≥31%, sensitivity 83%, specificity 85%, AUC 0.81) and cortisol (cut-off ≥12%, sensitivity 82%, specificity 89%, AUC 0.86) discriminated best between CD and ECS. A test duration of >60 minutes did not improve diagnostic performance of the CRH test. The optimal cortisol cut-off for the %-suppression during the 8 mg DST was ≥55% (sensitivity 80%, specificity 78%, AUC 0.75). Conclusion The CRH test has equivalent sensitivity but higher specificity than the 8 mg DST and is therefore the test of first choice. The diagnostic outcome of ACTH and cortisol is well comparable, however, sampling beyond 60 minutes post-CRH does not provide diagnostic benefits. KW - ACTH KW - Cushing's disease KW - Cushing’s syndrome KW - CRH stimulation test KW - diagnosis KW - ectopic KW - endogenous hypercortisolism KW - high dose dexamethasone suppression test Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-289450 SN - 1664-2392 VL - 13 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Eckhardt, Carolin A1 - Sbiera, Iuliu A1 - Krebs, Markus A1 - Sbiera, Silviu A1 - Spahn, Martin A1 - Kneitz, Burkhard A1 - Joniau, Steven A1 - Fassnacht, Martin A1 - Kübler, Hubert A1 - Weigand, Isabel A1 - Kroiss, Matthias T1 - High expression of Sterol-O-Acyl transferase 1 (SOAT1), an enzyme involved in cholesterol metabolism, is associated with earlier biochemical recurrence in high risk prostate cancer JF - Prostate Cancer and Prostatic Diseases N2 - Background Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most frequent cancer in men. The prognosis of PCa is heterogeneous with many clinically indolent tumors and rare highly aggressive cases. Reliable tissue markers of prognosis are lacking. Active cholesteryl ester synthesis has been associated with prostate cancer aggressiveness. Sterol-O-Acyl transferases (SOAT) 1 and 2 catalyze cholesterol esterification in humans. Objective To investigate the value of SOAT1 and SOAT2 tissue expression as prognostic markers in high risk PCa. Patients and Methods Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue samples from 305 high risk PCa cases treated with radical prostatectomy were analyzed for SOAT1 and SOAT2 protein expression by semi-quantitative immunohistochemistry. The Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazards modeling were used to compare outcome. Main Outcome Measure Biochemical recurrence (BCR) free survival. Results SOAT1 expression was high in 73 (25%) and low in 219 (75%; not evaluable: 13) tumors. SOAT2 was highly expressed in 40 (14%) and at low levels in 249 (86%) samples (not evaluable: 16). By Kaplan-Meier analysis, we found significantly shorter median BCR free survival of 93 months (95% confidence interval 23.6-123.1) in patients with high SOAT1 vs. 134 months (112.6-220.2, Log-rank p < 0.001) with low SOAT1. SOAT2 expression was not significantly associated with BCR. After adjustment for age, preoperative PSA, tumor stage, Gleason score, resection status, lymph node involvement and year of surgery, high SOAT1 but not SOAT2 expression was associated with shorter BCR free survival with a hazard ratio of 2.40 (95% CI 1.57-3.68, p < 0.001). Time to clinical recurrence and overall survival were not significantly associated with SOAT1 and SOAT2 expression CONCLUSIONS: SOAT1 expression is strongly associated with BCR free survival alone and after multivariable adjustment in high risk PCa. SOAT1 may serve as a histologic marker of prognosis and holds promise as a future treatment target. KW - prostate cancer KW - SOAT1 KW - cholesterol metabolism Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-271819 SN - 1476-5608 VL - 25 IS - 3 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Rogowski-Lehmann, Natalie A1 - Geroula, Aikaterini A1 - Prejbisz, Aleksander A1 - Timmers, Henri J. L. M. A1 - Megerle, Felix A1 - Robledo, Mercedes A1 - Fassnacht, Martin A1 - Fliedner, Stephanie M. J. A1 - Reincke, Martin A1 - Stell, Anthony A1 - Januszewicz, Andrzej A1 - Lenders, Jacques W. M. A1 - Eisenhofer, Graeme A1 - Beuschlein, Felix T1 - Missed clinical clues in patients with pheochromocytoma/paraganglioma discovered by imaging JF - Endocrine Connections N2 - Background: Pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas (PPGLs) are rare but potentially harmful tumors that can vary in their clinical presentation. Tumors may be found due to signs and symptoms, as part of a hereditary syndrome or following an imaging procedure. Objective: To investigate potential differences in clinical presentation between PPGLs discovered by imaging (iPPGLs), symptomatic cases (sPPGLs) and those diagnosed during follow-up because of earlier disease/known hereditary mutations (fPPGL). Design: Prospective study protocol, which has enrolled patients from six European centers with confirmed PPGLs. Data were analyzed from 235 patients (37 iPPGLs, 36 sPPGLs, 27% fPPGLs) and compared for tumor volume, biochemical profile, mutation status, presence of metastases and self-reported symptoms. iPPGL patients were diagnosed at a significantly higher age than fPPGLs (P<0.001), found to have larger tumors (P=0.003) and higher metanephrine and normetanephrine levels at diagnosis (P=0.021). Significantly lower than in sPPGL, there was a relevant number of self-reported symptoms in iPPGL (2.9 vs 4.3 symptoms, P< 0.001). In 16.2% of iPPGL, mutations in susceptibility genes were detected, although this proportion was lower than that in fPPGL (60.9%) and sPPGL (21.5%). Patients with PPGLs detected by imaging were older, have higher tumor volume and more excessive hormonal secretion in comparison to those found as part of a surveillance program. Presence of typical symptoms indicates that in a relevant proportion of those patients, the PPGL diagnosis had been delayed. Precis: Pheochromocytoma/paraganglioma discovered by imaging are often symptomatic and carry a significant proportion of germline mutations in susceptibility genes. KW - pheochromocytoma KW - paraganglioma KW - imaging KW - signs and symptoms KW - prospective KW - Biochemical-Diagnosis KW - Plasma KW - MASS KW - Normetanephrine KW - Metanephrine KW - Paraganglioma KW - Society KW - Utility Y1 - 2018 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-226481 VL - 7 IS - 11 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bliziotis, Nikolaos G. A1 - Kluijtmans, Leo A. J. A1 - Soto, Sebastian A1 - Tinnevelt, Gerjen H. A1 - Langton, Katharina A1 - Robledo, Mercedes A1 - Pamporaki, Christina A1 - Engelke, Udo F. H. A1 - Erlic, Zoran A1 - Engel, Jasper A1 - Deutschbein, Timo A1 - Nölting, Svenja A1 - Prejbisz, Aleksander A1 - Richter, Susan A1 - Prehn, Cornelia A1 - Adamski, Jerzy A1 - Januszewicz, Andrzej A1 - Reincke, Martin A1 - Fassnacht, Martin A1 - Eisenhofer, Graeme A1 - Beuschlein, Felix A1 - Kroiss, Matthias A1 - Wevers, Ron A. A1 - Jansen, Jeroen J. A1 - Deinum, Jaap A1 - Timmers, Henri J. L. M. T1 - Pre- versus post-operative untargeted plasma nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy metabolomics of pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma JF - Endocrine N2 - Purpose Pheochromocytomas and Paragangliomas (PPGL) result in chronic catecholamine excess and serious health complications. A recent study obtained a metabolic signature in plasma from PPGL patients; however, its targeted nature may have generated an incomplete picture and a broader approach could provide additional insights. We aimed to characterize the plasma metabolome of PPGL patients before and after surgery, using an untargeted approach, and to broaden the scope of the investigated metabolic impact of these tumors. Design A cohort of 36 PPGL patients was investigated. Blood plasma samples were collected before and after surgical tumor removal, in association with clinical and tumor characteristics. Methods Plasma samples were analyzed using untargeted nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy metabolomics. The data were evaluated using a combination of uni- and multi-variate statistical methods. Results Before surgery, patients with a nonadrenergic tumor could be distinguished from those with an adrenergic tumor based on their metabolic profiles. Tyrosine levels were significantly higher in patients with high compared to those with low BMI. Comparing subgroups of pre-operative samples with their post-operative counterparts, we found a metabolic signature that included ketone bodies, glucose, organic acids, methanol, dimethyl sulfone and amino acids. Three signals with unclear identities were found to be affected. Conclusions Our study suggests that the pathways of glucose and ketone body homeostasis are affected in PPGL patients. BMI-related metabolite levels were also found to be altered, potentially linking muscle atrophy to PPGL. At baseline, patient metabolomes could be discriminated based on their catecholamine phenotype. KW - PPGL KW - metabolomics KW - NMR KW - paired KW - plasma KW - operation Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-326574 VL - 75 IS - 1 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Arlt, Wiebke A1 - Biehl, Michael A1 - Taylor, Angela E. A1 - Hahner, Stefanie A1 - Libé, Rossella A1 - Hughes, Beverly A. A1 - Schneider, Petra A1 - Smith, David J. A1 - Stiekema, Han A1 - Krone, Nils A1 - Porfiri, Emilio A1 - Opocher, Giuseppe A1 - Bertherat, Jerôme A1 - Mantero, Franco A1 - Allolio, Bruno A1 - Terzolo, Massimo A1 - Nightingale, Peter A1 - Shackleton, Cedric H. L. A1 - Bertagna, Xavier A1 - Fassnacht, Martin A1 - Stewart, Paul M. T1 - Urine Steroid Metabolomics as a Biomarker Tool for Detecting Malignancy in Adrenal Tumors JF - The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism N2 - Context: Adrenal tumors have a prevalence of around 2% in the general population. Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is rare but accounts for 2–11% of incidentally discovered adrenal masses. Differentiating ACC from adrenocortical adenoma (ACA) represents a diagnostic challenge in patients with adrenal incidentalomas, with tumor size, imaging, and even histology all providing unsatisfactory predictive values. Objective: Here we developed a novel steroid metabolomic approach, mass spectrometry-based steroid profiling followed by machine learning analysis, and examined its diagnostic value for the detection of adrenal malignancy. Design: Quantification of 32 distinct adrenal derived steroids was carried out by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry in 24-h urine samples from 102 ACA patients (age range 19–84 yr) and 45 ACC patients (20–80 yr). Underlying diagnosis was ascertained by histology and metastasis in ACC and by clinical follow-up [median duration 52 (range 26–201) months] without evidence of metastasis in ACA. Steroid excretion data were subjected to generalized matrix learning vector quantization (GMLVQ) to identify the most discriminative steroids. Results: Steroid profiling revealed a pattern of predominantly immature, early-stage steroidogenesis in ACC. GMLVQ analysis identified a subset of nine steroids that performed best in differentiating ACA from ACC. Receiver-operating characteristics analysis of GMLVQ results demonstrated sensitivity = specificity = 90% (area under the curve = 0.97) employing all 32 steroids and sensitivity = specificity = 88% (area under the curve = 0.96) when using only the nine most differentiating markers. Conclusions: Urine steroid metabolomics is a novel, highly sensitive, and specific biomarker tool for discriminating benign from malignant adrenal tumors, with obvious promise for the diagnostic work-up of patients with adrenal incidentalomas. KW - adrenal cortex hormones KW - urine KW - adrenal cortex neoplasms KW - mass spectrometry KW - metabolomics Y1 - 2011 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-154682 VL - 96 IS - 12 SP - 3775 EP - 3784 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Werner, Rudolf A1 - Schmid, Jan-Stefan A1 - Higuchi, Takahiro A1 - Javadi, Mehrbod S. A1 - Rowe, Steven P. A1 - Märkl, Bruno A1 - Aulmann, Christoph A1 - Fassnacht, Martin A1 - Kroiß, Matthias A1 - Reiners, Christoph A1 - Buck, Andreas A1 - Kreissl, Michael A1 - Lapa, Constantin T1 - Predictive value of \(^{18}\)F-FDG PET in patients with advanced medullary thyroid carcinoma treated with vandetanib JF - Journal of Nuclear Medicine N2 - Introduction: Therapeutic options in advanced medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) have markedly improved since the introduction of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI). We aimed to assess the role of metabolic imaging using 2-deoxy-2-(\(^{18}\)F)fluoro-D-glucose (\(^{18}\)F-FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) shortly before and 3 months after initiation of TKI treatment. Methods: Eighteen patients with advanced and progressive MTC scheduled for vandetanib treatment underwent baseline \(^{18}\)F-FDG PET/CT prior to and 3 months after TKI treatment initiation. During follow-up, CT scans were performed every 3 months and analyzed according to Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors (RECIST). The predictive value for estimating progression-free (PFS) and overall survival (OS) was examined by investigating \(^{18}\)F-FDG mean/maximum standardized uptake values (SUVmean/max) of the metabolically most active lesion as well as by analyzing clinical parameters (tumor marker doubling times {calcitonin, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA)}, prior therapies, RET (rearranged during transfection) mutational status, and disease type). Results: Within a median follow-up of 5.2 years, 9 patients experienced disease progression after a median time interval of 2.1y whereas the remainder had ongoing disease control (n=5 partial response and n=4 stable disease). Eight of the 9 patients with progressive disease died from MTC after a median of 3.5y after TKI initiation. Pre-therapeutic SUVmean >4.0 predicted a significantly shorter PFS (PFS: 1.9y vs. 5.2y; p=0.04). Furthermore, sustained high 18F-FDG uptake at 3 months with a SUVmean>2.8 tended to portend an unfavorable prognosis with a PFS of 1.9y (vs. 3.5y; p=0.3). Prolonged CEA doubling times were significantly correlated with longer PFS (r=0.7) and OS (r=0.76, p<0.01, respectively). None of the other clinical parameters had prognostic significance. Conclusions: Pre-therapeutic \(^{18}\)F-FDG PET/CT holds prognostic information in patients with advanced MTC scheduled for treatment with the TKI vandetanib. Low tumor metabolism of SUVmean < 4.0 prior to treatment predicts longer progression-free survival. KW - positron emission tomography KW - Medullärer Schilddrüsenkrebs KW - Positronen-Emissions-Tomografie KW - medullary thyroid carcinoma KW - tyrosine kinase inhibitor KW - vandetanib KW - 2- deoxy-2-(18F)fluoro-D-glucose KW - 18F-FDG Y1 - 2018 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-161256 SN - 0161-5505 N1 - This research was originally published in JNM. Rudolf A. Werner, Jan-Stefan Schmid, Takahiro Higuchi, Mehrbod S. Javadi, Steven P. Rowe, Bruno Märkl, Christoph Aulmann, Martin Fassnacht, Matthias Kroiss, Christoph Reiners, Andreas K. Buck, Michael C. Kreissl, Constantin Lapa. Predictive value of 18F-FDG PET in patients with advanced medullary thyroid carcinoma treated with vandetanib. J Nucl Med. May 1, 2018;vol. 59 no. 5: 756-761. © SNMMI. ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Werner, Rudolf A1 - Higuchi, Takahiro A1 - Muegge, Dirk A1 - Javadi, Mehrbod S. A1 - Märkl, Bruno A1 - Aulmann, Christoph A1 - Buck, Andreas K. A1 - Fassnacht, Martin A1 - Lapa, Constantin A1 - Kreissl, Michael C. T1 - Predictive value of FDG-PET in patients with advanced medullary thyroid cancer undergoing vandetanib treatment T2 - Journal of Nuclear Medicine N2 - Introduction: The prognosis of medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) is poor using common chemotherapeutic approaches. However, during the last years encouraging results of recently introduced tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) such as vandetanib have been published. In this study we aimed to correlate the results of \(^{18}\)F-fluorodeoxyglucose ([\(^{18}\)F]FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) imaging with treatment outcome. Methods: Eighteen patients after thyroidectomy with recurrent/advanced MTC lesions receiving vandetanib (300 mg orally/day) could be analysed. A baseline \(^{18}\)F-FDG PET prior to and a follow-up \(^{18}\)F-FDG PET 3 months after TKI initiation were performed. During follow-up, tumor progression was assessed every 3 months including computed tomography according to RECIST. Progression-free survival (PFS) was correlated with the maximum standardized uptake value of \(^{18}\)F-FDG in lymph nodes (SUV(LN)max) or visceral metastases (SUV(MTS)max) as well as with clinical parameters using ROC analysis. Results: Within median 3.6 years of follow-up, 9 patients showed disease progression at median 8.5 months after TKI initiation. An elevated glucose consumption assessed by baseline \(^{18}\)F-FDG PET (SUV(LN)max > 7.25) could predict a shorter PFS (2 y) with an accuracy of 76.5% (SUV(LN)max <7.25, 4.3 y; p=0.03). Accordingly, preserved tumor metabolism in the follow-up PET (SUV(MTS)max >2.7) also demonstrated an unfavorable prognosis (accuracy, 85.7%). On the other hand, none of the clinical parameters reached significance in response prediction. Conclusions: In patients with advanced and progressive MTC, tumors with higher metabolic activity at baseline are more aggressive and more prone to progression as reflected by a shorter PFS; they should be monitored more closely. Preserved glucose consumption 3 months after treatment initiation was also related to poorer prognosis. KW - 18F-FDG KW - vandetanib KW - TKI KW - PET KW - positron emission tomography Y1 - 2017 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-161147 UR - http://jnm.snmjournals.org/content/58/supplement_1/169 SN - 0161-5505 N1 - This research was originally published in JNM. Rudolf A. Werner, Takahiro Higuchi, Dirk O. Muegge, Mehrbod S. Javadi, B. Märkl, C. Aulmann, Andreas K. Buck, Martin Fassnacht, Constantin Lapa, Michael C. Kreissl. Predictive value of FDG-PET in patients with advanced medullary thyroid cancer undergoing vandetanib treatment. J Nucl Med. May 1, 2017; vol. 58 no. supplement 1:169. © SNMMI. VL - 58 IS - no. supplement 1 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Fassnacht, Martin A1 - Johanssen, Sarah A1 - Allolio, Bruno T1 - Statements Cannot Be Substantiated : In Reply JF - Deutsches Ärzteblatt International N2 - No abstract available. KW - Medicine Y1 - 2011 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-142597 VL - 108 IS - 19 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Sbiera, Silviu A1 - Dexneit, Thomas A1 - Reichardt, Sybille D. A1 - Michel, Kai D. A1 - van den Brandt, Jens A1 - Schmull, Sebastian A1 - Kraus, Luitgard A1 - Beyer, Melanie A1 - Mlynski, Robert A1 - Wortmann, Sebastian A1 - Allolio, Bruno A1 - Reichardt, Holger M. A1 - Fassnacht, Martin T1 - Influence of Short-Term Glucocorticoid Therapy on Regulatory T Cells \(In\) \(Vivo\) JF - PLoS One N2 - Background: Pre- and early clinical studies on patients with autoimmune diseases suggested that induction of regulatory T(T(reg)) cells may contribute to the immunosuppressive effects of glucocorticoids(GCs). Objective: We readdressed the influence of GC therapy on T(reg) cells in immunocompetent human subjects and naive mice. Methods: Mice were treated with increasing doses of intravenous dexamethasone followed by oral taper, and T(reg) cells in spleen and blood were analyzed by FACS. Sixteen patients with sudden hearing loss but without an inflammatory disease received high-dose intravenous prednisolone followed by stepwise dose reduction to low oral prednisolone. Peripheral blood T(reg) cells were analyzed prior and after a 14 day GC therapy based on different markers. Results: Repeated GC administration to mice for three days dose-dependently decreased the absolute numbers of T(reg) cells in blood (100 mg dexamethasone/kg body weight: 2.8 +/- 1.8 x 10(4) cells/ml vs. 33 +/- 11 x 10(4) in control mice) and spleen (dexamethasone: 2.8 +/- 1.9 x 10(5)/spleen vs. 95 +/- 22 x 10(5)/spleen in control mice), which slowly recovered after 14 days taper in spleen but not in blood. The relative frequency of FOXP3(+) T(reg) cells amongst the CD4(+) T cells also decreased in a dose dependent manner with the effect being more pronounced in blood than in spleen. The suppressive capacity of T(reg) cells was unaltered by GC treatment in vitro. In immunocompetent humans, GCs induced mild T cell lymphocytosis. However, it did not change the relative frequency of circulating T(reg) cells in a relevant manner, although there was some variation depending on the definition of the T(reg) cells (FOXP3(+): 4.0 +/- 1.5% vs 3.4 +/- 1.5%*; AITR(+): 0.660.4 vs 0.5 +/- 0.3%, CD127(low): 4.0 +/- 1.3 vs 5.0 +/- 3.0%* and CTLA4+: 13.8 +/- 11.5 vs 15.6 +/- 12.5%; * p < 0.05). Conclusion: Short-term GC therapy does not induce the hitherto supposed increase in circulating T(reg) cell frequency, neither in immunocompetent humans nor in mice. Thus, it is questionable that the clinical efficacy of GCs is achieved by modulating T(reg) cell numbers. KW - Systemic-Lupus-Erythematosus KW - Immunological Self-Tolerance KW - Multiple-Sclerosis KW - Suppressive Function KW - Autoimmune-Diseases KW - FoxP3 Expression KW - Dendritic Cells KW - Immune-System KW - Sex-Hormones KW - Antigen 4 Y1 - 2011 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-140822 VL - 6 IS - 9 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Dinnes, Jacqueline A1 - Bancos, Irina A1 - di Ruffano, Lavinia Ferrante A1 - Chortis, Vasileios A1 - Davenport, Clare A1 - Bayliss, Susan A1 - Sahdev, Anju A1 - Guest, Peter A1 - Fassnacht, Martin A1 - Deeks, Jonathan J A1 - Arlt, Wiebke T1 - Imaging for the diagnosis of malignancy in incidentally discovered adrenal masses: a systematic review and meta-analysis JF - European Journal of Endocrinology N2 - Objective: Adrenal masses are incidentally discovered in 5% of CT scans. In 2013/2014, 81 million CT examinations were undertaken in the USA and 5 million in the UK. However, uncertainty remains around the optimal imaging approach for diagnosing malignancy. We aimed to review the evidence on the accuracy of imaging tests for differentiating malignant from benign adrenal masses. Design: A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted. Methods: We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane CENTRAL Register of Controlled Trials, Science Citation Index, Conference Proceedings Citation Index, and ZETOC (January 1990 to August 2015). We included studies evaluating the accuracy of CT, MRI, or F-18-fluoro-deoxyglucose (FDG)-PET compared with an adequate histological or imaging-based follow-up reference standard. Results: We identified 37 studies suitable for inclusion, after screening 5469 references and 525 full-text articles. Studies evaluated the accuracy of CT (n = 16), MRI (n = 15), and FDG-PET (n = 9) and were generally small and at high or unclear risk of bias. Only 19 studies were eligible for meta-analysis. Limited data suggest that CT density >10 HU has high sensitivity for detection of adrenal malignancy in participants with no prior indication for adrenal imaging, that is, masses with <= 10 HU are unlikely to be malignant. All other estimates of test performance are based on too small numbers. Conclusions: Despite their widespread use in routine assessment, there is insufficient evidence for the diagnostic value of individual imaging tests in distinguishing benign from malignant adrenal masses. Future research is urgently needed and should include prospective test validation studies for imaging and novel diagnostic approaches alongside detailed health economics analysis. KW - Positron-emission-tomography KW - Cell lung canger KW - Adrenocortial carcinomas KW - Disease prevalence KW - Spin echo KW - Contrast-enhanced CT KW - Test accuracy KW - Methodological quality KW - F-18-FDG PET/CT KW - MR Y1 - 2016 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-188086 VL - 175 IS - 2 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Paschke, Ralf A1 - Lincke, Thomas A1 - Müller, Stefan P. A1 - Kreissl, Michael C. A1 - Dralle, Henning A1 - Fassnacht, Martin T1 - The Treatment of Well-Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma JF - Deutsches Ärzteblatt International N2 - Background: Recent decades have seen a rise in the incidence of well-differentiated (mainly papillary) thyroid carcinoma around the world. In Germany, the age-adjusted incidence of well-differentiated thyroid carcinoma in 2010 was 3.5 per 100 000 men and 8.7 per 100 000 women per year. Method: This review is based on randomized, controlled trials and multicenter trials on the treatment of well-differentiated thyroid carcinoma that were retrieved by a selective literature search, as well as on three updated guidelines issued in the past two years. Results: The recommended extent of surgical resection depends on whether the tumor is classified as low-risk or high-risk, so that papillary microcar cinomas, which carry a highly favorable prognosis, will not be overtreated. More than 90% of localized, well-differentiated thyroid carcinomas can be cured with a combination of surgery and radioactive iodine therapy. Radio active iodine therapy is also effective in the treatment of well-differentiated thyroid carcinomas with distant metastases, yielding a 10-year survival rate of 90%, as long as there is good iodine uptake and the tumor goes into remission after treatment; otherwise, the 10-year survival rate is only 10%. In the past two years, better treatment options have become available for radioactive-iodine-resistant thyroid carcinoma. Phase 3 studies of two different tyrosine kinase inhibitors have shown that either one can markedly prolong progression-free survival, but not overall survival. Their more common clinically significant side effects are hand-foot syndrome, hypertension, diarrhea, proteinuria, and weight loss. Conclusion: Slow tumor growth, good resectability, and susceptibility to radioactive iodine therapy lend a favorable prognosis to most cases of well-differentiated thyroid carcinoma. The treatment should be risk-adjusted and interdisciplinary, in accordance with the current treatment guidelines. Even metastatic thyroid carcinoma has a favorable prognosis as long as there is good iodine uptake. The newly available medical treatment options for radioactive-iodine-resistant disease need to be further studied. KW - BRAF(V600E) mutation KW - distant metastases KW - papillary KW - guidelines KW - surgery KW - dissection KW - management KW - association KW - cancer KW - radioiodine therapy Y1 - 2015 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-151636 VL - 112 SP - 452 EP - 458 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Sbiera, Silviu A1 - Tryfonidou, Marianna A. A1 - Weigand, Isabel A1 - Grinwis, Guy C. M. A1 - Broeckx, Bart A1 - Herterich, Sabine A1 - Allolio, Bruno A1 - Deutschbein, Timo A1 - Fassnacht, Martin A1 - Meij, Björn P. T1 - Lack of Ubiquitin Specific Protease 8 (USP8) Mutations in Canine Corticotroph Pituitary Adenomas JF - Plos One N2 - Purpose Cushing’s disease (CD), also known as pituitary-dependent hyperadrenocorticism, is caused by adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)-secreting pituitary tumours. Affected humans and dogs have similar clinical manifestations, however, the incidence of the canine disease is thousand-fold higher. This makes the dog an obvious model for studying the pathogenesis of pituitary-dependent hyperadrenocorticism. Despite certain similarities identified at the molecular level, the question still remains whether the two species have a shared oncogenetic background. Recently, hotspot recurrent mutations in the gene encoding for ubiquitin specific protease 8 (USP8) have been identified as the main driver behind the formation of ACTH-secreting pituitary adenomas in humans. In this study, we aimed to verify whether USP8 mutations also play a role in the development of such tumours in dogs. Methods Presence of USP8 mutations was analysed by Sanger and PCR-cloning sequencing in 38 canine ACTH-secreting adenomas. Furthermore, the role of USP8 and EGFR protein expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry in a subset of 25 adenomas. Results None of the analysed canine ACTH-secreting adenomas presented mutations in the USP8 gene. In a subset of these adenomas, however, we observed an increased nuclear expression of USP8, a phenotype characteristic for the USP8 mutated human tumours, that correlated with smaller tumour size but elevated ACTH production in those tumours. Conclusions Canine ACTH-secreting pituitary adenomas lack mutations in the USP8 gene suggesting a different genetic background of pituitary tumourigenesis in dogs. However, elevated nuclear USP8 protein expression in a subset of tumours was associated with a similar phenotype as in their human counterparts, indicating a possible end-point convergence of the different genetic backgrounds in the two species. In order to establish the dog as a useful animal model for the study of CD, further comprehensive studies are needed. KW - cytoplasmic staining KW - dogs KW - adenomas KW - pituitary gland KW - pituitary adenomas KW - nuclear staining KW - mutation KW - protein expression Y1 - 2016 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-148020 VL - 11 IS - 12 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Altieri, Barbara A1 - Sbiera, Silviu A1 - Della Casa, Silvia A1 - Weigand, Isabel A1 - Wild, Vanessa A1 - Steinhauer, Sonja A1 - Fadda, Guido A1 - Kocot, Arkadius A1 - Bekteshi, Michaela A1 - Mambretti, Egle M. A1 - Rosenwald, Andreas A1 - Pontecorvi, Alfredo A1 - Fassnacht, Martin A1 - Ronchi, Cristina L. T1 - Livin/BIRC7 expression as malignancy marker in adrenocortical tumors JF - Oncotarget N2 - Livin/BIRC7 is a member of the inhibitors of apoptosis proteins family, which are involved in tumor development through the inhibition of caspases. Aim was to investigate the expression of livin and other members of its pathway in adrenocortical tumors and in the adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) cell line NCI-H295R. The mRNA expression of livin, its isoforms α and β, XIAP, CASP3 and DIABLO was evaluated by qRT-PCR in 82 fresh-frozen adrenal tissues (34 ACC, 25 adenomas = ACA, 23 normal adrenal glands = NAG). Livin protein expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry in 270 paraffin-embedded tissues (192 ACC, 58 ACA, 20 NAG). Livin, CASP3 and cleaved caspase-3 were evaluated in NCI-H295R after induction of livin overexpression. Relative livin mRNA expression was significantly higher in ACC than in ACA and NAG (0.060 ± 0.116 vs 0.004 ± 0.014 and 0.002 ± 0.009, respectively, p < 0.01), being consistently higher in tumors than in adjacent NAG and isoform β more expressed than α. No significant differences in CASP3, XIAP and DIABLO levels were found among these groups. In immunohistochemistry, livin was localized in both cytoplasm and nuclei. The ratio between cytoplasmic and nuclear staining was significantly higher in ACC (1.51 ± 0.66) than in ACA (0.80 ± 0.35) and NAG (0.88 ± 0.27; p < 0.0001). No significant correlations were observed between livin expression and histopathological parameters or clinical outcome. In NCI-H295R cells, the livin overexpression slightly reduced the activation of CASP3, but did not correlate with cell viability. In conclusion, livin is specifically over-expressed in ACC, suggesting that it might be involved in adrenocortical tumorigenesis and represent a new molecular marker of malignancy. KW - cancer KW - livin KW - BIRC7 KW - adrenocortical cancer KW - adrenal tumor KW - caspase-3 Y1 - 2017 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-171887 VL - 8 IS - 6 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Fassnacht, Martin A1 - Sbiera, Silviu A1 - Dexneit, Thomas A1 - Reichardt, Sybille D. A1 - Michel, Kai D. A1 - van den Brandt, Jens A1 - Schmull, Sebastian A1 - Kraus, Luitgard A1 - Beyer, Melanie A1 - Mlynski, Robert A1 - Wortmann, Sebastian A1 - Allolio, Bruno A1 - Reichardt, Holger M. T1 - Influence of Short-Term Glucocorticoid Therapy on Regulatory T Cells In Vivo N2 - Background: Pre- and early clinical studies on patients with autoimmune diseases suggested that induction of regulatory T(Treg) cells may contribute to the immunosuppressive effects of glucocorticoids(GCs). Objective: We readdressed the influence of GC therapy on Treg cells in immunocompetent human subjects and naı¨ve mice. Methods: Mice were treated with increasing doses of intravenous dexamethasone followed by oral taper, and Treg cells in spleen and blood were analyzed by FACS. Sixteen patients with sudden hearing loss but without an inflammatory disease received high-dose intravenous prednisolone followed by stepwise dose reduction to low oral prednisolone. Peripheral blood Treg cells were analyzed prior and after a 14 day GC therapy based on different markers. Results: Repeated GC administration to mice for three days dose-dependently decreased the absolute numbers of Treg cells in blood (100 mg dexamethasone/kg body weight: 2.861.86104 cells/ml vs. 336116104 in control mice) and spleen (dexamethasone: 2.861.96105/spleen vs. 956226105/spleen in control mice), which slowly recovered after 14 days taper in spleen but not in blood. The relative frequency of FOXP3+ Treg cells amongst the CD4+ T cells also decreased in a dose dependent manner with the effect being more pronounced in blood than in spleen. The suppressive capacity of Treg cells was unaltered by GC treatment in vitro. In immunocompetent humans, GCs induced mild T cell lymphocytosis. However, it did not change the relative frequency of circulating Treg cells in a relevant manner, although there was some variation depending on the definition of the Treg cells (FOXP3+: 4.061.5% vs 3.461.5%*; AITR+: 0.660.4 vs 0.560.3%, CD127low: 4.061.3 vs 5.063.0%* and CTLA4+: 13.8611.5 vs 15.6612.5%; * p,0.05). Conclusion: Short-term GC therapy does not induce the hitherto supposed increase in circulating Treg cell frequency, neither in immunocompetent humans nor in mice. Thus, it is questionable that the clinical efficacy of GCs is achieved by modulating Treg cell numbers. KW - Medizin Y1 - 2011 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-74749 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Baur, Johannes A1 - Schedelbeck, Ulla A1 - Pulzer, Alina A1 - Bluemel, Christina A1 - Wild, Vanessa A1 - Fassnacht, Martin A1 - Steger, U. T1 - A case report of a solitary pancreatic metastasis of an adrenocortical carcinoma JF - BMC Surgery N2 - Background Solitary metastases to the pancreas are rare. Therefore the value of resection in curative intention remains unclear. In the literature there are several promising reports about resection of solitary metastasis to the pancreas mainly of renal origin. Case presentation Here we report for the first time on the surgical therapy of a 1.5 cm solitary pancreatic metastasis of an adrenocortical carcinoma. The metastasis occurred almost 6 years after resection of the primary tumor. A partial pancreatoduodenectomy was performed and postoperatively adjuvant mitotane treatment was initiated. During the follow-up of 3 years after surgery no evidence of tumor recurrence occurred. Conclusion Resection of pancreatic tumors should be considered, even if the mass is suspicious for metastatic disease including recurrence of adrenocortical cancer. KW - surgical treatment KW - adrenocortical KW - carcinoma metastases to pancreas Y1 - 2015 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-126130 VL - 15 IS - 93 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Montes-Cobos, Elena A1 - Li, Xiao A1 - Fischer, Henrike J. A1 - Sasse, André A1 - Kügler, Sebastian A1 - Didié, Michael A1 - Toischer, Karl A1 - Fassnacht, Martin A1 - Dressel, Ralf A1 - Reichardt, Holger M. T1 - Inducible Knock-Down of the Mineralocorticoid Receptor in Mice Disturbs Regulation of the Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System and Attenuates Heart Failure Induced by Pressure Overload JF - PLoS One N2 - Mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) inactivation in mice results in early postnatal lethality. Therefore we generated mice in which MR expression can be silenced during adulthood by administration of doxycycline (Dox). Using a lentiviral approach, we obtained two lines of transgenic mice harboring a construct that allows for regulatable MR inactivation by RNAi and concomitant expression of eGFP. MR mRNA levels in heart and kidney of inducible MR knock-down mice were unaltered in the absence of Dox, confirming the tightness of the system. In contrast, two weeks after Dox administration MR expression was significantly diminished in a variety of tissues. In the kidney, this resulted in lower mRNA levels of selected target genes, which was accompanied by strongly increased serum aldosterone and plasma renin levels as well as by elevated sodium excretion. In the healthy heart, gene expression and the amount of collagen were unchanged despite MR levels being significantly reduced. After transverse aortic constriction, however, cardiac hypertrophy and progressive heart failure were attenuated by MR silencing, fibrosis was unaffected and mRNA levels of a subset of genes reduced. Taken together, we believe that this mouse model is a useful tool to investigate the role of the MR in pathophysiological processes. KW - cells KW - balance KW - polarization KW - transgenic rats Y1 - 2015 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-137575 VL - 10 IS - 11 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ronchi, Cristina L. A1 - Leich, Ellen A1 - Sbiera, Silviu A1 - Weismann, Dirk A1 - Rosenwald, Andreas A1 - Allolio, Bruno A1 - Fassnacht, Martin T1 - Single Nucleotide Polymorphism Microarray Analysis in Cortisol-Secreting Adrenocortical Adenomas Identifies New Candidate Genes and Pathways JF - Neoplasia N2 - The genetic mechanisms underlying adrenocortical tumor development are still largely unknown. We used high-resolution single nucleotide polymorphism microarrays (Affymetrix SNP 6.0) to detect copy number alterations (CNAs) and copy-neutral losses of heterozygosity (cnLOH) in 15 cortisol-secreting adrenocortical adenomas with matched blood samples. We focused on microalterations aiming to discover new candidate genes involved in early tumorigenesis and/or autonomous cortisol secretion. We identified 962 CNAs with a median of 18 CNAs per sample. Half of them involved noncoding regions, 89% were less than 100 kb, and 28% were found in at least two samples. The most frequently gained regions were 5p15.33, 6q16.1, 7p22.3-22.2, 8q24.3, 9q34.2-34.3, 11p15.5, 11q11, 12q12, 16q24.3, 20p11.1-20q21.11, and Xq28 (>= 20% of cases), most of them being identified in the same three adenomas. These regions contained among others genes like NOTCH1, CYP11B2, HRAS, and IGF2. Recurrent losses were less common and smaller than gains, being mostly localized at 1p, 6q, and 11q. Pathway analysis revealed that Notch signaling was the most frequently altered. We identified 46 recurrent CNAs that each affected a single gene (31 gains and 15 losses), including genes involved in steroidogenesis (CYP11B1) or tumorigenesis (CTNNB1, EPHA7, SGK1, STIL, FHIT). Finally, 20 small cnLOH in four cases affecting 15 known genes were found. Our findings provide the first high-resolution genome-wide view of chromosomal changes in cortisol-secreting adenomas and identify novel candidate genes, such as HRAS, EPHA7, and SGK1. Furthermore, they implicate that the Notch1 signaling pathway might be involved in the molecular pathogenesis of adrenocortical tumors. KW - kinase KW - comparative genomic hybridization KW - high-resolution analysis KW - Cushings syndrome KW - neutral loss KW - tumors KW - serum KW - expression KW - carcinoma KW - catenin Y1 - 2012 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-134953 VL - 14 IS - 3 ER -