Latest Research
All publications from the Cancer3.AI database, newest first.
Reframing RB Tumor Suppressor Dysfunction as a Therapeutic Vulnerability in Cancer.
Malko R, et al
This review article examines the retinoblastoma protein (RB), the first tumor suppressor ever discovered, and explores its multifaceted roles beyond classical cell-cycle control, including DNA damage repair, chromosomal stability, apoptosis regulation, and broad gene expression control. Although RB loss has historically been linked to cancer development and resistance to CDK4/6 inhibitor drugs—a widely used class of targeted cancer therapies—clinical evidence has failed to consistently confirm RB status as a reliable predictor of treatment response. The authors argue that this discrepancy calls for a fundamental rethinking of how RB dysfunction is interpreted, shifting focus from RB as a simple biomarker to RB loss as a creator of specific, exploitable cellular vulnerabilities such as heightened replication stress and chromosomal instability. The review systematically evaluates emerging therapeutic strategies—both single-agent and combination approaches—designed to selectively target RB-deficient cancer cells by leveraging these unique biological weaknesses. Reframing RB dysfunction in this way may expand the toolkit of precision oncology and offer new treatment options for patients with aggressive, treatment-resistant cancers where standard approaches have failed.
Cancers
Source →Editorial: Reconstructive and aesthetic surgery of the face: new frontiers in research and clinical applications.
Faenza M, et al
This editorial introduces a special collection of research focused on reconstructive and aesthetic surgery of the face, signaling emerging advances in both scientific investigation and clinical practice. Facial reconstructive and aesthetic surgery encompasses a broad spectrum of procedures designed to restore function, correct deformities, and improve appearance following trauma, oncological resection, or congenital anomalies. The editorial highlights new frontiers in the field, including innovations in surgical techniques, biomaterials, tissue engineering, and patient-centered outcome assessment. These advances carry meaningful implications for patients seeking improved functional and cosmetic results, as well as for clinicians navigating an increasingly complex and rapidly evolving therapeutic landscape. As a guiding overview to the collection, this piece underscores the growing importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in advancing facial surgery to new standards of care.
Frontiers in surgery
Source →Risk for second primary malignancies in patients with multiple myeloma: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Tian Y, et al
A systematic review and meta-analysis published in Frontiers in Oncology investigated the risk of developing second primary malignancies (SPMs) in patients with multiple myeloma (MM), a blood cancer for which survival has markedly improved over recent decades. Researchers pooled data from 15 studies encompassing nearly 280,000 MM patients and found that while the overall risk of a second cancer was not significantly higher than in the general population, the risk of hematologic (blood-related) second cancers was nearly three times greater, with a standardized incidence ratio of 2.91. Specific malignancies showing elevated risk included non-Hodgkin lymphoma, myelodysplastic syndromes, acute myeloid leukemia, mesothelioma, skin cancer, melanoma, and thyroid cancer, while risks for breast cancer, lung cancer, and bladder cancer were lower than expected. Intriguingly, the reduced risk of breast cancer was flagged as an unexpected signal that may offer insights into the biology of MM and its treatments. These findings highlight that cancer surveillance in MM survivors should be individualized according to site-specific risk profiles, with heightened attention to hematologic second cancers, rather than applying a uniform screening approach across all cancer types.
Frontiers in oncology
Source →Extraskeletal osteosarcoma arising in the globe of an irradiated, heritable retinoblastoma survivor.
Andoh JE, et al
This case report describes a rare and life-threatening secondary malignancy in a 23-year-old man who had previously undergone radiation therapy for hereditary bilateral retinoblastoma, a childhood eye cancer with a known genetic predisposition. The patient developed extraskeletal osteosarcoma — a form of bone cancer arising outside the skeleton — within his left eye, which had become shrunken and degenerated (phthisical), representing an exceptionally unusual tumor location. Imaging and surgical findings revealed that the tumor had extended beyond the globe into surrounding orbital structures, and the patient was subsequently diagnosed with pulmonary metastases confirming stage IV metastatic osteosarcoma, requiring systemic chemotherapy and orbital exenteration. The authors propose that osteosarcoma likely arose from metaplastic bone tissue, which commonly forms inside phthisical eyes, with prior radiation exposure serving as a key driver of malignant transformation. This case highlights the critical need for lifelong ophthalmic surveillance — including ultrasound examination of phthisical eyes that cannot be assessed by standard means — and ongoing oncologic monitoring in hereditary retinoblastoma survivors. Early detection of such secondary malignancies in this high-risk population is essential to improving patient outcomes and survival.
American journal of ophthalmology case reports
Source →Case Report: Diagnosis and management of primary malignant melanoma of the bladder: a case-based review.
Hou X, et al
Primary malignant melanoma of the bladder (PMMB) is an extraordinarily rare cancer with fewer than 50 documented cases in the modern medical literature, leaving clinicians without established treatment guidelines or reliable prognostic data. This report describes a 65-year-old man who presented with urinary irritation symptoms and was found on enhanced CT imaging to have a bladder wall lesion that was pathologically confirmed as PMMB. The patient underwent partial cystectomy combined with left ureterovesical reimplantation and experienced a favorable outcome with no recurrence detected over a 24-month follow-up period. Alongside this case, the authors conducted a comprehensive review of previously published PMMB cases to characterize shared clinical and imaging features as well as current therapeutic approaches. The study underscores the importance of including PMMB in the differential diagnosis of bladder lesions and suggests that early surgical intervention may offer the best prospect of long-term disease control in the absence of standardized protocols.
Frontiers in oncology
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