Latest Research
All publications from the Cancer3.AI database, newest first.
Relapse of adult B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia in the bilateral lacrimal glands: A case report and literature review.
Jang HJ, et al
Researchers from a clinical team published a case report in the journal Medicine documenting an exceptionally rare occurrence of B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) relapsing in both lacrimal glands — the tear-producing glands located near the eyes — in a 55-year-old woman who had previously undergone a bone marrow transplant. The patient presented with a painless swelling of the right upper eyelid, and imaging revealed enlargement of both lacrimal glands, which could easily have been mistaken for an inflammatory or autoimmune condition. A biopsy confirmed that the leukemia had returned in this unusual site outside the bone marrow, a phenomenon known as extramedullary relapse, even though standard blood tests showed no signs of disease. The patient was treated with salvage chemotherapy followed by a second bone marrow transplant, and follow-up scans six months later showed complete resolution of the gland enlargement. This case highlights that in patients with a history of ALL, unusual swellings around the eyes should not be dismissed as benign without tissue confirmation, as prompt diagnosis is critical to initiating appropriate systemic treatment. Clinicians are urged to maintain a high index of suspicion for extramedullary relapse in ALL patients, even when routine hematologic tests appear normal.
Medicine
Source →How I do it: exoscopic minimally invasive pericranial flap harvest for endoscopic anterior skull base reconstruction.
Wiedmann MK, et al
Researchers from a neurosurgical team have described a new minimally invasive technique for harvesting the pericranial flap — a tissue graft used to repair the anterior skull base — using a three-dimensional exoscope through a small frontal scalp incision. This approach is particularly valuable when the standard nasoseptal flap, the most common intranasal reconstruction option, is unavailable or insufficient following extended endoscopic endonasal skull base surgery. The exoscope provides surgeons with high-definition, three-dimensional visualization and improved ergonomics compared to traditional open or microscope-assisted methods, while keeping the donor-site incision small and tissue trauma minimal. The technique allows simultaneous endoscopic placement of the flap through the nose, enabling reliable coverage of large skull base defects spanning from orbit to orbit. For patients, this means a potentially faster procedure with less scarring and lower risk of wound complications at the harvest site. Clinicians gain a practical, reproducible tool that expands reconstructive options in complex skull base cases where intranasal vascularized flaps are limited.
Acta neurochirurgica
Source →Immunosuppressed patients undergoing Mohs micrographic surgery: A cross-sectional analysis of the MohsAIQ national data registry.
Ran NA, et al
This study examined outcomes and treatment patterns among immunosuppressed patients who underwent Mohs micrographic surgery, a precise skin cancer removal technique, using data drawn from the MohsAIQ national registry. Immunosuppressed individuals — including organ transplant recipients, patients on long-term corticosteroids, and those with hematologic conditions — face a significantly elevated risk of skin cancers such as squamous cell carcinoma, making surgical outcomes in this group a critical clinical concern. The cross-sectional analysis leveraged a large, real-world national dataset to characterize how this vulnerable population is managed across participating Mohs surgery centers in the United States. Findings from this registry-based study provide clinicians with important benchmarks regarding complication rates, tumor characteristics, and procedural complexity specific to immunosuppressed patients. These insights can help dermatologic surgeons better anticipate challenges and tailor perioperative care for patients whose immune status places them at heightened risk for aggressive disease and suboptimal healing.
Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology
Source →Severe cord compression due to unique extradural meningeal melanocytoma of intermediate grade.
Olson JT, et al
Researchers report a rare case of an intermediate-grade meningeal melanocytoma — a primary tumor arising from pigment-producing cells of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord — occurring in an unusual extradural location in a 36-year-old man. The tumor extended from vertebral levels C6 to T2 and caused severe compression of the spinal cord, leading to progressive weakness, muscle wasting, and sensory disturbances in the patient's right hand and forearm. Surgeons performed a C6-T2 laminectomy with instrumented spinal fusion, achieving complete removal of the pigmented mass, and histopathological analysis confirmed the intermediate-grade nature of the lesion, which displayed features intermediate between a benign melanocytoma and malignant melanoma. Following surgery, the patient fully regained right-hand strength and showed no signs of tumor recurrence on follow-up imaging, without requiring additional radiation or chemotherapy. This case is clinically significant because extradural spinal presentations of meningeal melanocytoma are exceedingly rare, and it demonstrates that gross total surgical resection can be curative even for intermediate-grade lesions, offering important guidance to neurosurgeons facing similar atypical presentations.
Surgical neurology international
Source →Role of Oncoviruses in Cancer Progression and Emerging Phytochemical-Based Therapies from Medicinal Plants.
Singh S, et al
Researchers reviewed the molecular mechanisms by which oncogenic viruses — including HPV, EBV, HBV, HCV, HTLV-1, and KSHV — drive cancer development, collectively responsible for 12–15% of all human malignancies worldwide. These viruses were found to hijack critical cellular signaling pathways such as PI3K/AKT/mTOR, NF-κB, JAK/STAT, MAPK, Wnt/β-catenin, and p53-dependent networks, leading to uncontrolled cell growth, chronic inflammation, and genomic instability. Conventional treatments including chemotherapy, radiotherapy, antiviral drugs, immunotherapy, and gene therapy remain limited by drug resistance, viral latency, systemic toxicity, and poor accessibility in low- and middle-income countries. The review highlights the promising therapeutic potential of bioactive compounds derived from medicinal plants such as Phyllanthus emblica, Cannabis sativa, Andrographis paniculata, and others, which have demonstrated antiviral, immune-modulatory, pro-apoptotic, and cell-cycle-regulatory effects in preclinical models. These phytochemical agents may offer multi-target strategies that could complement or overcome the limitations of existing cancer therapies, particularly in resource-limited settings.
Molecular biotechnology
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