Latest Research
All publications from the Cancer3.AI database, newest first.
Risk of Oral Complications Among IL-17 Inhibitor Users: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Wang L, et al
A new systematic review and meta-analysis published in Oral Diseases examined the risk of oral complications in patients treated with IL-17 inhibitors, a class of drugs widely used for conditions such as psoriasis and other autoimmune diseases. Researchers analyzed data from 106 clinical trials involving over 57,000 participants, making it one of the most comprehensive assessments of this topic to date. The study found that oral candidiasis (a fungal infection) occurred in approximately 4.73% of patients and oral herpes in about 2.94%, with bimekizumab carrying a higher candidiasis risk than secukinumab. Beyond infections, patients also showed elevated rates of bacterial dental diseases such as cavities, gum disease, and abscesses, as well as nerve-related disorders and rare cases of oral cancers including tongue squamous cell carcinoma. These findings highlight the need for clinicians prescribing IL-17 inhibitors to proactively monitor patients for oral health complications and consider routine dental assessments as part of treatment management.
Oral diseases
Source →Defining platinum-ineligible head and neck cancer patients from administrative data.
Boone G, et al
Researchers analyzed data from the SEER-Medicare database (2010–2019) to understand how often patients with locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) of the pharynx or larynx actually receive cisplatin-based chemotherapy alongside definitive radiation therapy. Despite strong evidence from clinical trials supporting cisplatin use, the study of 3,548 patients found that only 23.2% received cisplatin, while nearly half received no systemic therapy at all, with that proportion growing over time. Conditions such as renal failure, neuropathy, and hearing loss were individually linked to avoiding cisplatin, but after accounting for overall health burden, only the general comorbidity index remained a significant predictor. These findings reveal a striking gap between guideline-recommended care and real-world practice, suggesting that clinicians are making treatment decisions based on overall patient frailty rather than specific, well-defined contraindications. For patients and healthcare systems, this underscores the urgent need for better tools to identify who is truly ineligible for cisplatin and to ensure more consistent, evidence-based treatment of head and neck cancer.
Oral oncology
Source →A bloody surprise: rare presentation of pituitary apoplexy with epistaxis-a case report.
Kow KJ, et al
This case report from BJR Case Reports describes a rare and life-threatening presentation of pituitary apoplexy — sudden hemorrhage or infarction of the pituitary gland — in a 71-year-old man with a previously known non-functioning pituitary macroadenoma who arrived at hospital with nosebleed (epistaxis), acute confusion, worsening headache, and cranial nerve III palsy. Unlike the classical symptoms of pituitary apoplexy, the epistaxis in this patient was caused by the enlarging tumor eroding through the floor of the pituitary cavity and extending into the sphenoid sinus, a very uncommon anatomical mechanism. Initial CT imaging failed to detect acute changes, but repeat CT and subsequent MRI revealed tumor enlargement with hemorrhage and a catastrophic left middle cerebral artery stroke caused by thrombosis of the M1 segment. Despite intensive care, the patient did not recover neurologically and died, illustrating the severe morbidity and mortality risk associated with atypical presentations of this endocrine emergency. The authors emphasize that clinicians must consider pituitary apoplexy in patients with known pituitary adenomas who develop acute neurological decline even with atypical symptoms such as nosebleed, and that early MRI and urgent endocrinology review are essential for timely diagnosis and management.
BJR case reports
Source →Case Report: Rare collision tumors: ACTH-secreting pituitary neuroendocrine tumor and pituicytoma - histopathological and ultrastructural analysis.
Fernández SC, et al
Researchers report an exceptionally rare case of a pituitary collision tumor — a condition in which two completely distinct tumors arise simultaneously in the same anatomical region without merging — in a 21-year-old woman who presented with signs of Cushing's disease caused by excess cortisol. MRI of the sellar region identified a tiny 4mm lesion, which was surgically removed via a minimally invasive transnasal transsphenoidal approach, after which comprehensive histopathological and ultrastructural examination confirmed the coexistence of an ACTH-secreting pituitary neuroendocrine tumor and a pituicytoma, each bearing distinct cellular and molecular signatures. The two tumors were reliably distinguished through immunohistochemistry — the corticotroph tumor showed diffuse ACTH staining while the pituicytoma was identified by TTF-1 nuclear positivity — and both displayed low proliferative activity. Nine months after surgery the patient remained in full clinical and biochemical remission with no residual tumor, although she developed diabetes insipidus as a postoperative complication. This case highlights the extraordinary rarity of pituicytoma co-occurring with Cushing's disease and stresses that meticulous tissue analysis is essential for clinicians encountering complex pituitary lesions so that each tumor component receives appropriate recognition and management.
Frontiers in endocrinology
Source →Longitudinal ctDNA tracking by low-pass whole-genome sequencing predicts CAR-T outcomes in B-cell lymphomas.
Zhang S, et al
Researchers investigated whether a blood-based liquid biopsy technique called low-pass whole-genome sequencing (LP-WGS) of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) could improve monitoring of treatment outcomes in patients with relapsed or refractory B-cell lymphoma undergoing CAR-T cell therapy with axicabtagene ciloleucel. In a cohort of 11 patients, lower levels of tumor-derived DNA in the bloodstream before treatment were linked to achieving complete remission, while detectable ctDNA at baseline or one month after CAR-T infusion strongly predicted inferior survival. Combining ctDNA analysis with standard PET/CT imaging outperformed imaging alone in separating high-risk from low-risk patients, and specific genomic alterations — including deletion of chromosome 17p and elevated copy number variation burden — were independently associated with poor prognosis. These findings position LP-WGS-based ctDNA monitoring as a promising, non-invasive complement to conventional imaging, with the potential to guide more personalized treatment decisions for lymphoma patients receiving CAR-T therapy.
iScience
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