Catecholamine Metabolism in a Functional Neural Tumor*

Greenberg, Robert E.; Gardner, Lytt I.

doi:10.1172/jci104195

Cited by 56 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…Increased urinary excretion of catecholamines or their metabolites, or both, has been reported recently in association with ganglioneuroma, ganglioneuroblastoma and neuroblastoma (14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23). These neoplasms are embryologically related, having a common origin from neural-crest ectoderm.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Urinary Excretion of Norepinephrine, Epinephrine and 3-Methoxy-4-Hydroxymandelic Acid by Children With Neuro-Blastoma*†

Voorhess

Gardner

1961

The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism

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This study concerns the urinary excretion of norepinephrine (NE), cpinephrine (E) and 3-methoxy-4-hydroxymandelic acid (VMA) in 5 infants and children with neuroblastomata and 1 child with a ganglioneuroblastoma. Prior to treatment by surgery, radiation or chemotherapy (alone, or in combination), 3 of the patients excreted increased amounts of both NE and VMA. One patient excreted slightly increased amounts of NE, but VMA output was very high. Another had a normal output of VMA, but a greatly elevated output of NE. In the remaining patient, both NE and VMA excretions were normal. The output of epinephrine was not increased in any of the cases. In general, clinical improvement following therapy was associated with a drop in the urinary excretion of NE and VMA. With progression of the disease, the excretion of these compounds again increased. These findings indicate that there may be biochemical differences among neuroblastomata, even though the tumors may be of similar histologic appearance. Delineation of these differences may be important in diagnosis, prognosis and treatment.T HE neuroblastoma is one of the most common malignant tumors of infancy and childhood. It generally results in a rapid downhill course and death in a few months, despite treatment by surgery, chemotherapy,

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Urinary Excretion of Norepinephrine, Epinephrine and 3-Methoxy-4-Hydroxymandelic Acid by Children With Neuro-Blastoma*†

Voorhess

Gardner

1961

The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism

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“…Increased excretion of catecholamines and related metabolites in urine has been found in a number of patients with ganglioneuroma [16,19,23,27,28,29,30,41,47,54,56] ; however, such an increase has not been found in all cases of ganglioneuroma. KASER [27] reported normal urine VMA excretion in several patients with ganglioneuroma; however, values for urinary excretion of NE, dopamine, DOPA, HVA, and of NMN and MN were not reported.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Several studies contain data concerning excretion of catecholamines and their metabolites in the urine of patients with ganglioneuroma~ [16, 19, 23, 27, 28, 29, 30, 41, 47, 54, 561. In two of these studies detection of norepinephrine (NE) in ganglioneuroma tissue was reported [19,41]. We are aware of only a single report concerned with the fine structure of a ganglioneuroma at electron microscopic levels of magnification [40] ; however, biochemical studies were not reported.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Catecholamine Metabolism of a Ganglioneuroma: Correlation with Electronmicrographs

et al. 1969

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ExtractStudies of the catecholamine metabolism in a patient having a functional ganglioneuroma are reported. Biochemical determinations of catecholamines and metabolites were correlated with histochemical and electron microscopic examination of the tumor. Increased urinary excretion of 3-methoxy-4-hydroxy mandelic acid, homovanillic acid, and dopamine was found prior to excision of the tumor. There was no significant increase in excretion of normetanephrine-metanephrine or of norepinephrine-epinephrine. Concentration of norepinephrine and epinephrine in the tumor tissue was 0.095 mglg. This concentration is greater than that found in neuroblastomas, but less than that found in pheochromocytomas. Normetanephrine-metanephrine was detected in the tumor tissue, indicating degradation of norepinephrine by catechol-0-methyl transferase. Computed turnover of norepinephrine in the tumor tissue was 6.85 hours.Catecholamines were present within heavy mitochondria1 fractions prepared from tumor tissue; the spontaneous release of norepinephrine into the suspending medium was determined during incubation under standard conditions. The data indicate that rapid turnover of norepinephrine was not related to accelerated spontaneous release from catecholamine granules. Electron microscopic examination revealed ganglion cells and a complex neuropil. Dense core vesicles were present in many of the neural processes and in ganglion cells. Synaptic junctions between neural processes and between neural processes and ganglion cells were seen. Nerve bundles containing neural processes were present. There was wide variation in the cross sectional diameter of the processes.The number of Type I dense core vesicles of this ganglioneuroma were decreased in comparison with those found in pheochromocytomas and increased in relation to neuroblastomas.The synapse-like areas of membrane specialization observed in this tumor may have been part of the mechanism by which differentiation of the ganglion cells was directed. The high rate of turnover of catecholamines does not seem to be dependent upon an increased rate of spontaneous release of catecholamines from isolated secretory vesicles.

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“…Several workers have used the biochemical activity of the tumour, as reflected by the urinary excretion of catecholamines and their metabolites, to chart the clinical progress of the patient (Greenberg and Gardner, 1960;von Studnitz, 1960;von Studnitz et al, 1963;Smellie and Sandler, 1961;Voorhess andGardner, 1961, 1962a, b;Bettex and Kaser, 1962;Kontras, 1962;Young, Steiker, Bongiovanni, Koop and Eberlein, 1963;Sourkes et al, 1963;Rosenstein and Engelman, 1963;Williams and Greer, 1963). Williams andGreer (1962, 1963) have pointed out from their own experiences and from a study of the literature that the measurement of HVA, the major metabolite of dopamine, and of VMA, the major metabolite of noradrenaline, provide sufficient information to make a diagnosis in most cases of this secreting tumour.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Congenital Dopamine-secreting Neuroblastoma with Clinical and Biochemical Remission

Brett¹,

Oppé²,

Ruthven³

et al. 1964

Archives of Disease in Childhood

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Catecholamine Metabolism in a Functional Neural Tumor*

Cited by 56 publications

References 26 publications

Urinary Excretion of Norepinephrine, Epinephrine and 3-Methoxy-4-Hydroxymandelic Acid by Children With Neuro-Blastoma*†

Urinary Excretion of Norepinephrine, Epinephrine and 3-Methoxy-4-Hydroxymandelic Acid by Children With Neuro-Blastoma*†

Catecholamine Metabolism of a Ganglioneuroma: Correlation with Electronmicrographs

Congenital Dopamine-secreting Neuroblastoma with Clinical and Biochemical Remission

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