Latest Research
All publications from the Cancer3.AI database, newest first.
Managing Cancer and Living Meaningfully (CALM) for Patients With Metastatic Cancer and Treatment Response.
de Vries FE, et al
A new study published in Psycho-oncology examined how patients with metastatic lung cancer or melanoma experience life after achieving a positive response to immunotherapy or targeted therapy, and whether a brief psychotherapy called Managing Cancer and Living Meaningfully (CALM) could help them cope. Researchers in the Netherlands conducted in-depth interviews with 17 such patients one year after they began CALM therapy, identifying key psychological themes including living in a 'twilight zone' between health and illness, enduring uncertainty, and struggling to adapt to a new identity as a treatment responder. Five themes related to CALM emerged, including having a safe space to process their cancer experience, resolving relationship strain, and being invited to reflect on mortality. Most participants found CALM helpful, though they felt ambivalent about discussing death when disease progression felt distant or unpredictable. The findings suggest that even patients who respond well to cancer treatment face significant psychological burdens that standard oncology care may not address. CALM offers a promising support framework for this growing population of long-term responders who must navigate an uncertain future.
Psycho-oncology
Source →Efficacy and Safety of Intensity-Modulated Radiotherapy Combined With Regorafenib With or Without Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors as Second-Line Treatment for Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Real-World Cohort Study From a Single Center.
Xin L, et al
Researchers at a single center evaluated the effectiveness and safety of combining intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) with regorafenib, with or without immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), as a second- or later-line treatment for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a challenging liver cancer with limited treatment options after initial therapy fails. The retrospective study included 50 patients treated between 2018 and 2022, the majority of whom had advanced-stage disease with portal vein tumor thrombosis, a particularly serious complication. The combination regimen produced impressive tumor response rates of 74% by standard RECIST criteria and 92% by modified RECIST criteria within the radiation field, with a median progression-free survival of approximately 11 months from the start of radiotherapy and a 2-year overall survival rate exceeding 53%. Side effects were manageable, with the most common serious adverse events being hand-foot syndrome, low platelet counts, skin inflammation, and elevated liver enzymes, none of which were unexpectedly severe. These findings suggest that IMRT combined with regorafenib and possibly immunotherapy represents a promising and well-tolerated treatment strategy for patients with advanced liver cancer who have already failed at least one prior systemic therapy, potentially expanding the options available to clinicians in this difficult-to-treat population.
Cancer medicine
Source →Mechanistic Insights Into the Anti-Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia Effect of Licorice Water Extract via p53-Mediated Apoptosis and Cell Cycle Arrest: A Network Pharmacology-Based Experimental Study.
Kim H, et al
A new study published in Molecular Nutrition & Food Research investigated whether a water extract of licorice root (LWE) could help treat benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), a non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate gland that causes urinary problems in millions of aging men worldwide. Using a network pharmacology approach, researchers identified the tumor suppressor protein p53 as a central molecular target through which licorice compounds may act on BPH-related biological pathways. Laboratory experiments with human BPH cell lines and animal models confirmed that LWE suppresses the androgen receptor signaling pathway, which drives abnormal prostate cell growth, and triggers both programmed cell death and cell cycle arrest at the G1/S checkpoint via p53 regulation. These combined actions effectively inhibited excessive proliferation of prostate epithelial cells, mirroring the therapeutic goals of current BPH medications. The findings suggest that licorice water extract holds promise as a natural, food-grade functional ingredient that could support prostate health, potentially offering a safer complementary option for men affected by BPH.
Molecular nutrition & food research
Source →Prognostic Significance of Hypoalbuminemia in Maintenance Avelumab Therapy After First-Line Chemotherapy for Metastatic Urothelial Carcinoma: A Multicenter Real-World Study (YUSHIMA Study).
Muta R, et al
A Japanese multicenter real-world study examined the prognostic factors influencing outcomes in patients with metastatic urothelial carcinoma (mUC) who received maintenance therapy with the immunotherapy drug avelumab after completing first-line chemotherapy. The study analyzed 59 patients who had not progressed during initial chemotherapy and subsequently started avelumab, tracking their progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). The key finding was that low blood albumin levels — a marker of poor nutritional status called hypoalbuminemia — was the only independent predictor of worse outcomes, with affected patients experiencing a median PFS of just 3.3 months compared to 12.0 months in those with normal albumin levels, and significantly shorter overall survival. These results suggest that nutritional status plays a critical role in determining how well patients respond to avelumab maintenance therapy. Clinicians treating mUC patients may benefit from monitoring and actively managing albumin levels to potentially improve the effectiveness of this immunotherapy regimen.
International journal of urology : official journal of the Japanese Urological Association
Source →Meta-analysis of the melanoma miRNome identifies consensus signatures of progression and prognosis regulating metabolic plasticity and stress resistance.
Gómez-Cabañes B, et al
Researchers conducted a comprehensive meta-analysis of six independent gene expression studies to map the microRNA (miRNA) regulatory landscape driving melanoma progression, from benign moles to aggressive skin cancer. Using systems biology and network analysis following rigorous PRISMA guidelines, they identified a consensus 24-miRNA diagnostic signature distinguishing benign nevi from malignant melanoma, with hsa-miR-142-5p emerging as a master regulator that dismantles natural cancer-suppressing senescence barriers by targeting the genes CDK6, SIRT1, and TGFBR2. A separate 23-miRNA prognostic signature was identified in ulcerated melanomas, revealing that elevated hsa-miR-223-3p promotes tumor invasion by silencing the suppressor gene RHOB, while the concurrent loss of hsa-miR-200c and hsa-miR-489-3p unleashes pathways driving metastatic spread. Together, these findings support a two-step molecular switch model in which miRNA changes first enable cancer cells to escape normal growth controls and then help them survive in the hostile environment of an ulcerated tumor. These miRNA signatures offer clinically actionable biomarkers that could improve risk stratification for patients after surgery and identify those who would benefit from adjuvant therapy, while the miR-142-5p/CDK6 and miR-223-3p/RHOB axes represent promising new therapeutic targets.
bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology
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