Latest Research
A cross-section of the Cancer3.AI database: the newest publication from each body region first, then the next one from each — so the review spans cancer types instead of running in blocks. Summaries are generated by Claude Sonnet (Anthropic) and link to the original publications.
The mechanism of malignant progression in extramammary Paget's disease (EMPD): hallmarks of EMPD.
Kajihara I
A new review identifies the key molecular hallmarks driving malignant progression in extramammary Paget's disease (EMPD), a rare apocrine-gland skin cancer of the genital and axillary regions. The HER2/PI3K/AKT signaling cascade and hormone receptor pathways are aberrantly activated, while driver gene mutations in ERBB2 and PIK3CA are recurrently detected despite an overall low tumor mutation burden. The tumor microenvironment actively suppresses anti-tumor immunity by reducing CD4+ and CD8+ T cells while expanding Treg cells and CD163+ macrophages, with the enhanced Warburg effect and Staphylococcus aureus colonization further dampening immune responses. These insights into EMPD's high intratumor genetic heterogeneity and immune-evasion strategies may guide the development of targeted and immunotherapeutic treatment options for this poorly understood malignancy.
Medical molecular morphology
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Management of Soft Tissue and Visceral Leiomyosarcomas.
Campos F, et al
An international expert panel has published a consensus-based review in JAMA Oncology on the diagnosis and management of leiomyosarcoma, a rare and heterogeneous malignant soft tissue neoplasm associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. In localized disease, complete surgical resection remains the cornerstone of treatment with site-specific perioperative strategies, while prospective data supporting neoadjuvant or adjuvant chemotherapy remain lacking and the role of radiotherapy varies across anatomic sites. In advanced disease, active systemic regimens include anthracycline-based and gemcitabine-based combinations, trabectedin, and tyrosine kinase inhibitors, though optimal sequencing beyond first-line therapy is undefined and emerging data suggest benefit from treatment continuation strategies and local therapies in oligometastatic settings. The panel identified integration of molecular profiling into routine diagnostic pathways as a key unmet need, and concluded that management requires a multidisciplinary, site-specific approach informed by limited but evolving evidence.
JAMA oncology
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Clinical and ultrasound characteristics of uterine perivascular epithelioid cell tumors.
Ferla S, et al
A retrospective multicenter study of 13 patients with histologically confirmed uterine PEComas found that initial transvaginal ultrasound correctly suspected malignancy in only 4 cases (31%), revealing a critical gap in preoperative detection of these rare tumors. The tumors — 8 malignant and 5 benign — most commonly appeared as solitary, round, solid masses with regular margins (62%), inhomogeneous echogenicity (69%), and moderate to rich vascularization (color score 3–4) in 9 cases (69%), with a median diameter of 42 mm (IQR 23–66 mm). Conducted across two Italian academic oncology centers using standardized MUSA terminology, the study found tumors arising from the uterine corpus (46%), cervix (38%), and isthmus (15%), and notably, shadowing and hyperechoic islands — hallmarks of uterine leiomyomas — were universally absent. These findings suggest that the combination of marked vascularity, inhomogeneous echogenicity, and absent leiomyoma-like features should raise clinical suspicion for PEComa even when margins appear regular.
Ultraschall in der Medizin (Stuttgart, Germany : 1980)
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Four Radical Bowel-Sparing Procedures for the Treatment of Small Bowel Tumors: A Retrospective Cohort Study From a Prospective Clinical Trial.
Ignjatovic D, et al
A new artery-based surgical framework comprising four bowel-sparing procedures for small bowel tumors achieves standardized D3-volume lymphadenectomy with a median lymph node harvest of 31 (median D3-lymph node harvest of 12) and zero 30- or 90-day mortality in a cohort of 86 patients. Using preoperative 3D vascular reconstruction to identify tumor-feeding arteries, surgeons selected among duodenojejunal resection, jejunal resection, ileal resection, or right colectomy/ileocaecal resection, achieving a median specimen length of only 31.5 cm. Positive lymph nodes were identified in 71 of 86 patients, with D3 positivity confirmed in 33, demonstrating that oncologically adequate nodal staging can be accomplished while limiting resection length and thereby reducing the risk of short bowel syndrome.
Journal of gastrointestinal surgery : official journal of the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract
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Adolescent Unilateral Retinoblastoma in a Low- and Middle-Income Country: Diagnostic Challenges and Barriers to Genetic Cancer Care.
Sarfraz S, et al
A study published in Pediatric Blood & Cancer investigates the diagnostic challenges and systemic barriers to genetic cancer care faced by adolescents with unilateral retinoblastoma in a low- and middle-income country (LMIC) setting, a group that is frequently underrepresented in the retinoblastoma literature. The research highlights that delayed diagnosis and limited access to genetic counseling and molecular testing represent critical unmet needs in this population, where resource constraints compound the inherent difficulty of identifying retinoblastoma in older patients who present atypically compared to young children. These findings underscore the urgent need for improved awareness, referral pathways, and affordable genetic services in LMICs to ensure timely intervention and appropriate family risk assessment for adolescent patients.
Pediatric blood & cancer
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