Latest Research
All publications from the Cancer3.AI database, newest first.
HPV18-positive Small Cell Neuroendocrine Carcinoma of the Uterine Cervix Treated With Immunotherapy: A Case Report.
Masumoto S, et al
Researchers report a rare case of small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the cervix (SCNEC), an aggressive cancer with very poor outcomes, in a 42-year-old woman who was positive for human papillomavirus type 18 (HPV18). Despite undergoing surgery, chemotherapy, and chemoradiotherapy, the cancer continued to spread to distant lymph nodes, presenting a major therapeutic challenge. Genetic analysis of the tumor revealed amplification of the CD274 gene, which encodes the immune checkpoint protein PD-L1, prompting clinicians to treat the patient with the immune checkpoint inhibitor nivolumab. The targeted lymph node shrank in response to nivolumab, and the patient remained relapse-free for more than three years following this treatment. This case suggests that comprehensive multimodal therapy, including immune checkpoint inhibition guided by CD274 gene amplification, can produce remarkable and durable responses in patients with advanced SCNEC, a cancer for which effective treatments are urgently needed.
Anticancer research
Source →Frizzled-9 Expression Is Associated With Aggressive Clinicopathological Features and Reduced Overall Survival in Invasive Breast Carcinoma.
Bastos DR, et al
Researchers investigated the role of Frizzled-9 (FZD9), a receptor involved in the Wnt signaling pathway, in breast cancer by analyzing its protein expression across 81 tumor samples representing different molecular subtypes and by studying how cancer-targeting treatments affect its activity in cell lines. The study found that FZD9 protein was more commonly expressed in HER2-enriched tumors, tumors with high proliferation rates (high Ki-67 index), and those at advanced disease stages. Patients whose tumors expressed FZD9 had significantly shorter overall survival compared to those with FZD9-negative tumors, suggesting the protein marks more dangerous cancers. Experiments in cell lines showed that FZD9 gene activity varied widely between cancer subtypes and responded differently to chemotherapy, radiation, and epigenetic drugs depending on the molecular background of the cells. These findings position FZD9 as a potential biomarker of tumor aggressiveness and as a biologically meaningful indicator of how breast cancers respond to treatment, which could help clinicians better stratify patients and design future targeted therapies.
Pathology international
Source →Adjuvant Radiotherapy After Cystectomy in Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer: Indications, Benefits and Remaining Challenges.
Valencia Nieto P, et al
This narrative review examines the role of adjuvant radiotherapy (ART) after radical cystectomy in patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer, a disease that causes over 200,000 deaths annually and recurs in up to half of surgically treated patients within two years. Despite the standard use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy, locoregional recurrence remains a significant and difficult-to-treat problem, prompting renewed interest in ART as a strategy to reduce local disease return and improve metastasis-free survival. The review highlights recent advances in radiotherapy delivery techniques and reassuring safety data from the BART trial, which have helped rehabilitate ART as a viable option after decades of limited use. Crucially, the authors address the rapidly changing treatment landscape shaped by perioperative immunotherapy, citing landmark trials such as CheckMate 274 and NIAGARA that have established new standards of care in this setting. The review concludes that ART holds complementary value alongside modern immunotherapy regimens, particularly for high-risk patients, and calls for careful patient selection and integration into multimodal treatment strategies. Clinicians managing bladder cancer now have an evolving but increasingly evidence-based rationale for incorporating ART into individualized treatment plans.
Archivos espanoles de urologia
Source →Efficacy and Safety of Keyhole Limpet Hemocyanin in Bacillus Calmette-Guérin Unresponsive Non-muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer.
Chernobilsky V, et al
A retrospective two-centre study from Argentina evaluated the efficacy and safety of keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH), an immunotherapy agent, in 70 patients with high-risk non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) who failed to respond to standard Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) treatment. Patients received intravesical KLH as an induction regimen followed by monthly maintenance doses, with a mean follow-up of nearly five years. The estimated disease-free survival rates were 57.1% at one year, 33.5% at two years, and 30.1% at three years, with a median disease-free survival of 14 months. Multifocality, pT1 tumour stage, and lymphovascular invasion were identified as factors associated with worse outcomes, while the treatment was well tolerated with only 8.6% of patients experiencing mild urinary infections. These findings are clinically significant because radical cystectomy — the current standard of care for BCG-unresponsive NMIBC — is not feasible for many patients, and KLH represents a viable, safe bladder-preserving alternative for this difficult-to-treat population.
Archivos espanoles de urologia
Source →Distribution of PD-1.5 Gene Variant (rs2227981): A Possible Approach for Risk Assessment in Bladder Cancer.
Kayar K, et al
Researchers from Turkey investigated whether a genetic variant in the PD-1 immune checkpoint gene, known as PD-1.5 (rs2227981), influences the likelihood of developing bladder cancer. The study compared genotype and allele distributions of this C/T polymorphism in 53 bladder cancer patients and 98 healthy controls using PCR-RFLP genotyping and logistic regression analysis. Key findings revealed that individuals carrying the TT genotype were at significantly higher risk of bladder cancer, while those carrying the C allele were substantially protected, with the C allele remaining an independent protective factor even after adjusting for age, sex, and smoking status. Established risk factors such as older age, male sex, and smoking were also confirmed to independently elevate bladder cancer risk in this cohort. These results suggest that the PD-1.5 polymorphism could serve as a genetic biomarker to help identify individuals at elevated risk for bladder cancer, potentially enabling earlier surveillance or preventive strategies. The authors caution that replication in larger and ethnically diverse populations is needed before clinical application.
Archivos espanoles de urologia
Source →