Latest Research
All publications from the Cancer3.AI database, newest first.
Application of Microflow Imaging in Neoplasm Diagnosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.
Zhou D, et al
A systematic review and meta-analysis published in Academic Radiology has evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of Superb Microvascular Imaging (SMI), an advanced ultrasound technique, for distinguishing benign from malignant tumors across multiple organ systems. Researchers pooled data from 28 studies involving tumors of the breast, kidney, liver, and other organs, comparing SMI head-to-head against conventional Color Doppler Flow Imaging (CDFI). The pooled analysis showed that SMI achieved an overall sensitivity of 84%, a specificity of 79%, and an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.88, demonstrating strong and consistent diagnostic performance. These results held across both superficial organ tumors, such as those of the breast, and abdominal organ tumors, such as those of the kidney and liver, with AUC values reaching 0.89 in both subgroups. SMI's superior ability to visualize tiny intratumoral blood vessels—enabled by adaptive filtering algorithms that suppress motion artifacts—addresses a key limitation of standard Doppler imaging. These findings suggest that SMI could serve as a valuable, non-invasive tool in oncological ultrasound, potentially reducing unnecessary biopsies and supporting earlier, more accurate cancer diagnosis.
Academic radiology
Source →Expert Opinion on the Diagnosis and Treatment of Hematologic Malignancies During Pregnancy.
Dierickx D, et al
A multidisciplinary panel of experts has published a comprehensive opinion paper in the Journal of Clinical Oncology addressing the diagnosis and treatment of hematologic malignancies—blood cancers including leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma, and related conditions—in pregnant women. With significant advances in oncology improving patient outcomes over recent decades and a rising global incidence of blood cancers, clinicians are increasingly confronted with the complex challenge of managing these diseases during pregnancy. The paper systematically reviews available diagnostic modalities and therapeutic strategies, including chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and immunotherapy, as they apply to acute leukemia, Hodgkin lymphoma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, myeloproliferative neoplasms, aplastic anemia, and multiple myeloma in the pregnant setting. The expert panel concludes that, with careful application of current knowledge, many pregnant women can receive appropriate and effective cancer treatment while minimizing risks to the developing fetus and newborn. This guidance is critically important for oncologists, hematologists, and obstetricians who must make nuanced decisions that simultaneously safeguard the health of both mother and child. The paper fills a significant gap in clinical practice by consolidating expert recommendations for one of oncology's most ethically and medically challenging scenarios.
Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology
Source →Neutropenia and infectious events during off-label treatment with venetoclax in children with malignant disease: a pharmacovigilance analysis of FDA adverse event reporting system reports.
Muratore E, et al
Venetoclax, a targeted therapy that blocks the BCL-2 protein to induce cancer cell death, is increasingly used off-label in children with blood cancers despite very limited pediatric safety data. Researchers conducted a pharmacovigilance study examining 488 pediatric case reports submitted to the U.S. FDA Adverse Event Reporting System involving neutropenia and infections in children treated with venetoclax. The analysis identified disproportionately frequent reports of serious adverse events, including sepsis, leukopenia, agranulocytosis, and pseudomembranous colitis, with most cases occurring in children diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia or myelodysplastic syndromes who were receiving combination therapy. Network analysis further demonstrated that hematologic toxicities and infectious complications frequently co-occurred, pointing to overlapping immune-suppressive effects in this treatment setting. These findings raise significant safety concerns for a vulnerable pediatric population and highlight the urgent need for dedicated prospective clinical trials to optimize venetoclax dosing, monitoring protocols, and supportive care strategies in children with cancer.
Annals of hematology
Source →Pituitary Apoplexy with the Initial Presentations Similar to Trigeminal Autonomic Cephalalgia: A Case Report.
Hsu C, et al
A case report published in Acta Neurologica Taiwanica describes a 43-year-old man who initially presented with sudden-onset headache, eyelid drooping, and autonomic symptoms closely mimicking trigeminal autonomic cephalalgia (TAC), a group of primary headache disorders. Clinical deterioration subsequently revealed paralysis of the sixth cranial nerve (abducens palsy), and magnetic resonance imaging identified a large pituitary tumor — a macroadenoma — with internal bleeding, confirming a diagnosis of pituitary apoplexy. Hormonal blood tests uncovered deficiencies across multiple endocrine axes, and the patient was promptly referred for neurosurgical intervention. Pituitary apoplexy, an acute hemorrhagic or ischemic event within the pituitary gland, is a potentially life-threatening emergency that can masquerade as common headache syndromes, making early differentiation critically important. This case serves as an important reminder for clinicians to consider pituitary apoplexy in the differential diagnosis whenever a patient presents with atypical or unusually severe headaches, particularly when accompanied by visual or autonomic signs. Timely neuroimaging is emphasized as an essential diagnostic tool that can prevent delayed treatment and improve patient outcomes.
Acta neurologica Taiwanica
Source →Uptake of 18F-AlF-NOTA-octreotide PET/CT in gastrointestinal stromal tumors.
Xu X, et al
Researchers report a case in which a novel PET/CT imaging agent, 18F-AlF-NOTA-octreotide (18F-OC), was used to evaluate a 45-year-old male patient clinically suspected of having a pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor. The tracer works by binding specifically to somatostatin receptors expressed on the surface of certain tumors, enabling their detection with high sensitivity. Unexpectedly, imaging identified a mass located just below the pancreatic head that showed strong uptake of the probe, and after surgical removal the lesion was confirmed by histopathology to be a low-risk gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) rather than the suspected neuroendocrine tumor. This case demonstrates for the first time that GISTs can express somatostatin receptors at levels sufficient to produce significant signal on 18F-OC PET/CT scans. Clinicians interpreting this type of imaging should be aware that GISTs may mimic neuroendocrine tumors, and this knowledge may help prevent misdiagnosis and support better-informed surgical planning.
EJNMMI reports
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