Latest Research
All publications from the Cancer3.AI database, newest first.
Associations of Social and Demographic Factors on the Outcomes of Ocular Melanoma and Other Adult Ocular Neoplasms in the United States: A Systematic Review.
Shaughnessy D, et al
A systematic review published in Cochrane Evidence Synthesis and Methods examined how social determinants of health (SDOH) — including economic stability, insurance status, race and ethnicity, and access to care — influence outcomes in rare adult eye cancers such as uveal melanoma, conjunctival squamous cell carcinoma, ocular lymphoma, and ocular Kaposi sarcoma in the United States. Researchers searched three major medical databases covering studies from 2000 to 2023, ultimately analyzing 21 studies that together evaluated 167 distinct associations between SDOH factors and cancer outcomes including incidence, stage at diagnosis, treatment patterns, survival, and mortality. The findings consistently showed that patients with lower socioeconomic status, public or no health insurance, or minority racial and ethnic backgrounds were more likely to be diagnosed at a later stage, face higher rates of eye removal (enucleation), and experience worse survival. Conversely, higher income, private insurance, and treatment at high-volume academic medical centers were linked to earlier diagnosis and better outcomes. These results underscore that disparities in rare eye cancer care are measurable and systemic, driven by factors beyond biology alone. The authors call for standardized data collection, prospective research designs, and targeted interventions — such as expanded insurance coverage, travel assistance to specialized centers, and community eye-health programs — to close these persistent gaps.
Cochrane evidence synthesis and methods
Source →Immune-related adverse events in patients with preexisting myasthenia gravis and thymoma following immune checkpoint inhibitor treatment: a retrospective, observational study.
Sun C, et al
Researchers conducted a retrospective study to evaluate the safety of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) — a modern class of cancer immunotherapy drugs — in a particularly vulnerable group: patients with both thymoma (a tumor of the thymus gland) and preexisting myasthenia gravis (MG), a chronic autoimmune neuromuscular disease. Among over 12,900 patients treated with ICIs at a single hospital between 2018 and 2024, six had this combined condition (MGT) and were compared to ten thymoma patients without MG. The findings were striking: all six MGT patients developed severe (grade 3 or higher) immune-related adverse events, including ICI-induced myocarditis and myasthenic crisis, compared to a significantly lower rate in the control group. Importantly, patients who received immunosuppressive therapy before starting ICI treatment, and those treated with both steroids and intravenous immunoglobulin during adverse events, had better clinical outcomes. The study also identified germinal centers — specialized immune structures — in thymoma tissue as a potential biomarker that could predict which thymoma patients without MG are at risk for severe immune reactions, offering clinicians a new tool for risk stratification before initiating ICI therapy.
Frontiers in immunology
Source →Hyalinizing clear cell carcinoma of the nasopharyngeal minor salivary glands: an unusual case report.
Tameez-Ud-Din S, et al
Researchers report an exceptionally rare case of hyalinizing clear cell carcinoma (HCCC) arising from minor salivary glands in the nasopharynx of a 15-year-old girl, who had suffered progressive nasal congestion, sleep apnea, and ear problems for over two years. Imaging revealed a large, well-defined mass measuring 3.4 × 5.0 × 6.4 cm, which initially resembled a benign nasal polyp, illustrating how this malignancy can mimic common, non-cancerous conditions and delay diagnosis. The definitive diagnosis was established through immunohistochemistry, with tumor cells testing positive for pan-cytokeratin, p63, and CK-7 while being negative for markers associated with other clear-cell tumors, confirming HCCC as a distinct low-grade malignancy. The patient was successfully treated with endoscopic transpalatal surgical excision achieving clear margins, and remained relapse-free at one-year follow-up. This case underscores the critical importance of immunohistochemical analysis when evaluating unusual nasopharyngeal masses, and highlights that complete surgical removal with tumor-free margins offers the best chance of cure for this rare cancer.
International journal of surgery case reports
Source →Cancer incidence in Addis Ababa, 2018-2022: The only population based cancer registry in Ethiopia.
Gizaw M, et al
Researchers analyzed five years of data (2018–2022) from the only population-based cancer registry in Ethiopia, located in Addis Ababa and covering approximately 3.7 million people, to establish the first reliable picture of cancer incidence in the country. A total of 14,053 cancer cases were recorded, with women bearing a significantly higher burden than men, reflected in age-standardized incidence rates of 113.5 versus 66.5 per 100,000, respectively. Breast cancer dominated among women, accounting for nearly 39% of all female cases, followed by cervical cancer and colorectal cancer, while colorectal cancer, prostate cancer, and mouth and pharynx cancers were the leading diagnoses in men. The findings align with cancer patterns seen across East Africa, but the relatively low recorded rates of prostate and liver cancers raise concerns about underdiagnosis and underreporting due to limited diagnostic capacity. The unexpectedly high burden of colorectal cancer in an urban African setting underscores the urgent need for targeted screening programs. These data represent a critical baseline for Ethiopian health authorities to design evidence-based cancer prevention, early detection, and treatment strategies.
Cancer epidemiology
Source →Prognostic and predictive biomarkers in thymic epithelial tumors: beyond traditional staging: a narrative review.
Cabezón-Gutiérrez L, et al
Thymic epithelial tumors (TETs), including thymomas and thymic carcinomas, are rare and biologically diverse cancers of the mediastinum whose prognosis has traditionally depended on WHO histological classification and anatomical staging systems such as Masaoka-Koga and TNM. This narrative review, based on a comprehensive search of EMBASE and MEDLINE up to September 2025, examined emerging molecular and immunological biomarkers with the potential to improve risk stratification and guide individualized treatment decisions beyond conventional staging. The review found that while traditional staging retains strong prognostic value, molecular markers including PD-L1 expression, tumor mutational burden (TMB), DNA methylation profiles, Hippo pathway components, and the proliferation marker Ki-67 show promise as supplementary prognostic tools, although prospective clinical validation remains limited. Preliminary evidence also supports the predictive role of TMB, PD-L1 expression, and c-kit mutations in selecting patients most likely to benefit from immunotherapy or targeted therapies. The authors conclude that multiparametric models integrating clinical, pathological, and molecular data represent the most promising path toward precision oncology in TETs, potentially enabling more accurate prognosis and better-tailored treatment for patients with these rare tumors.
Mediastinum (Hong Kong, China)
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