Cell adhesion molecules as targets for therapy of neuroblastoma.

Cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) are glycoproteins expressed on the surface of cell membranes. In normal cells, CAMs participate in a variety of biological processes including cell proliferation, migration and differentiation. In tumor cells, CAMs have been reported to function as oncogenes or tumor suppressors, in signal transduction and as regulators of tumor progression and metastasis.

ICAM-2 expression mediates a membrane-actin link, confers a nonmetastatic phenotype and reflects favorable tumor stage or histology in neuroblastoma.

The actin cytoskeleton is a primary determinant of tumor cell motility and metastatic potential. Motility and metastasis are thought to be regulated, in large part, by the interaction of membrane proteins with cytoplasmic linker proteins and of these linker proteins, in turn, with actin. However, complete membrane-to-actin linkages have been difficult to identify.

Development of a tumor-selective approach to treat metastatic cancer.

Background: Patients diagnosed with metastatic cancer have almost uniformly poor prognoses. The treatments available for patients with disseminated disease are usually not curative and have side effects that limit the therapy that can be given. A treatment that is selectively toxic to tumors would maximize the beneficial effects of therapy and minimize side effects, potentially enabling effective treatment to be administered.