Latest Research
All publications from the Cancer3.AI database, newest first.
Letermovir improves the outcome of allogenic stem cell transplantation with anti-thymocyte globulin against acute leukemia and myelodysplastic syndromes.
Negishi S, et al
Researchers investigated whether letermovir, an antiviral drug used to prevent cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection, could improve outcomes in patients undergoing allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo-SCT) combined with anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) for acute leukemia or myelodysplastic syndromes. In this retrospective study of 88 patients treated between 2014 and 2022, those who received letermovir prophylaxis had dramatically better three-year overall survival rates of 85%, compared to just 47% in patients who did not receive letermovir. CMV reactivation by day 100 was markedly suppressed in the letermovir group, occurring in only 5.9% of patients versus 43% in the control group. Strikingly, the relapse rate was also significantly lower in the letermovir group at 21% compared to 47%, suggesting that preventing CMV reactivation may reduce cancer relapse, possibly by preserving the immune system's ability to fight residual leukemia cells. These findings indicate that adding letermovir prophylaxis to allo-SCT with ATG may substantially benefit patients with acute leukemia and myelodysplastic syndromes, and warrant further prospective studies to confirm this effect.
Annals of hematology
Source →Chromosome Karyotyping in Hematological Malignancies: Current Status and Future Directions.
Xu C, et al
A comprehensive review published in Current Medical Science examines the current role and future potential of chromosome karyotyping—particularly G-banding—as a diagnostic and prognostic tool in blood cancers such as acute myeloid leukemia, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, multiple myeloma, and myelodysplastic syndromes. The review highlights how karyotyping provides a broad, genome-wide snapshot of large chromosomal abnormalities that guide disease classification and treatment planning, while acknowledging its limitations including low resolution and occasional culture failure. To address these shortcomings, complementary techniques such as fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), array comparative genomic hybridization, and SNP arrays are now routinely used alongside karyotyping to detect subtle genetic changes invisible to standard methods. The authors describe how modern hematological oncology has shifted toward a multi-omics diagnostic approach that integrates karyotyping with morphology, flow cytometry, and next-generation sequencing, significantly improving diagnostic accuracy and personalized treatment decisions. The review also notes that while karyotyping remains essential for confirming cytogenetic remission, newer molecular tools are superior for detecting minimal residual disease. Emerging technologies such as optical genome mapping show promise for streamlining and potentially replacing parts of the current workflow, ensuring that karyotyping continues to evolve as an indispensable component of comprehensive cancer management.
Current medical science
Source →U2AF regulates the translation and localization of nuclear-encoded mitochondrial mRNAs.
Garcia GR, et al
Researchers studied the RNA-binding protein complex U2AF, formed by U2AF1 and U2AF2, to understand its role in mitochondrial biology in human bronchial epithelial cells. The study revealed that U2AF performs an unexpected function beyond its known role in RNA splicing: it binds to messenger RNAs that encode mitochondrial proteins, suppresses their translation, and guides these molecules to the mitochondria. Critically, a cancer-associated mutation called U2AF1(S34F) disrupts this regulatory system, causing abnormal mitochondrial structure, excessive protein production, and a shift in cellular energy metabolism toward a pathway called oxidative phosphorylation. These molecular changes closely mirror what is observed in bone marrow cells from patients with myelodysplastic syndromes, a group of blood cancers that can progress to leukemia. The findings open new avenues for understanding how mutations in RNA-processing proteins drive cancer metabolism and may inform future therapeutic strategies targeting mitochondrial function in blood malignancies.
Molecular cell
Source →Circulating CAR T-Cells After Treatment With Axicabtagene Ciloleucel in Patients With Relapsed/Refractory Aggressive B-Cell Lymphomas and Its Association to Treatment Outcome.
Werne LO, et al
Researchers at Skåne and Sahlgrenska University Hospitals in Sweden studied whether the level of circulating CAR T-cells in the blood after treatment with axicabtagene ciloleucel (axi-cel) could predict outcomes in patients with relapsed or refractory aggressive B-cell lymphomas. The study, conducted between 2019 and October 2024, measured CAR T-cell counts using flow cytometry and correlated peak levels with treatment response, survival, and side effects. Patients who achieved a complete response had significantly higher peak CAR T-cell levels, particularly CD8+ CAR T-cells, compared to those who did not respond, and a lower ratio of CD4+ to CD8+ CAR T-cells was also associated with better outcomes. Patients with peak CAR T-cell counts above 52.4 cells per microliter experienced superior progression-free survival. These findings suggest that monitoring CAR T-cell expansion in the blood after therapy could serve as an early biomarker to identify patients at high risk of treatment failure, potentially enabling timely clinical interventions.
European journal of haematology
Source →Parathyroid Cancer in the United Kingdom: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of 10-year Post-surgical Recurrence.
Azeez TA, et al
A new systematic review and meta-analysis published in Hormone and Metabolic Research examined the clinical characteristics and long-term recurrence rates of parathyroid cancer in the United Kingdom, a rare malignancy that causes dangerously elevated blood calcium levels. Researchers pooled data from five UK studies involving 115 patients, finding that the average patient age was 53.8 years, that the disease affected men and women nearly equally, and that every patient presented with hypercalcaemia. Critically, 10.5% of patients already had metastatic disease at the time of diagnosis, underscoring the aggressive nature of this cancer. The combined 10-year post-surgical recurrence rate was found to be 9.0% (95% confidence interval: 4–15%), a figure clinicians consider significantly elevated for a surgically treated condition. These findings strongly support the recommendation for lifelong follow-up monitoring after surgery and highlight an urgent need for sensitive biomarkers capable of detecting recurrence or metastasis at an earlier stage.
Hormone and metabolic research = Hormon- und Stoffwechselforschung = Hormones et metabolisme
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