Latest Research
All publications from the Cancer3.AI database, newest first.
An Umbrella Review on the Prevention of Skin Diseases: Do Specific Nutrients Play a Protective Role?
Granvillano G, et al
A new umbrella review published in Preventive Nutrition and Food Science examined whether specific nutrients and dietary supplements can help prevent common skin diseases, including skin cancer, atopic eczema, and ultraviolet radiation-induced skin damage. Researchers searched four major scientific databases and identified six systematic reviews or meta-analyses covering 9,229 participants ranging from infants in utero to adults aged 80 years, published between 2001 and 2023. Key findings showed that green tea catechins offer a protective effect against UV-induced skin redness, that Lactobacillus probiotics may reduce the incidence of atopic eczema in infants, and that niacinamide supplementation lowered the occurrence of basal and squamous cell carcinomas, the two most common forms of non-melanoma skin cancer. While the overall number of eligible studies was small, the review provides a valuable evidence base suggesting that targeted nutritional interventions hold real promise for primary skin disease prevention. Clinicians and patients alike may benefit from greater awareness of these dietary strategies, and the authors call for larger, well-designed trials to confirm and expand these findings.
Preventive nutrition and food science
Source →Precision Diagnosis in Cutaneous Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma.
Asarkar AA, et al
A new review published in Biomedicines examines the rapidly evolving landscape of precision diagnostics for cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC), a skin cancer primarily caused by sun exposure that affects the head and neck region. The authors systematically evaluated current and emerging diagnostic modalities, including molecular biomarkers, optical imaging techniques, radiomics, and artificial intelligence-driven tools integrated into clinical workflows. Key genetic mutations and pathways implicated in cSCC development were identified, including alterations in p53, NOTCH, RAS/MAPK, cell-cycle regulation, and cellular adhesion pathways, all of which represent potential targets for personalized treatment strategies. The review found that combining these advanced diagnostic approaches has already improved diagnostic accuracy and holds significant promise for earlier detection, more precise risk stratification, and individualized patient management beyond what conventional histopathology alone can achieve. Despite this promise, the authors caution that cost, technical complexity, and limited clinical validation remain important barriers to widespread adoption. Ongoing research efforts aim to integrate these precision diagnostic tools into standard clinical practice, potentially transforming how cSCC is detected and managed in the future.
Biomedicines
Source →The Clinical Significance of SPOP Upregulation and Nuclear Accumulation in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma.
Shih Y, et al
Researchers investigated the role of SPOP, a protein normally acting as a tumor suppressor, in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), a common and often aggressive cancer of the mouth, throat, and related structures. Using cancer cell lines, patient tissue samples, and a large public genomic database (TCGA), the team found that SPOP is overexpressed in HNSCC tumors compared to normal tissue, and that its levels increase with tumor grade. A particularly striking finding was that SPOP shifts its location inside cells — moving predominantly into the cell nucleus in cancer tissue, with the nuclear-positive fraction rising from about 12% in normal tissue to over 61% in tumors. The study also showed that arecoline, a compound found in betel nut and a known risk factor for HNSCC, can trigger SPOP expression in normal oral cells, suggesting a possible mechanism by which this carcinogen contributes to cancer development. These findings position nuclear SPOP localization as a promising biomarker that could help clinicians diagnose HNSCC, assess tumor aggressiveness, and potentially guide future targeted therapies.
International journal of molecular sciences
Source →Combined Hamartoma of the Retina and Retinal Pigment Epithelium: The Contribution of Optical Coherence Tomography in Redefining Its Development and Natural History - A Case Series.
Lembo A, et al
A new case series published in Case Reports in Ophthalmology documents the earliest optically detectable stages of combined hamartoma of the retina and retinal pigment epithelium (CHRRPE), a rare benign retinal tumor typically diagnosed in childhood. Researchers evaluated two young boys aged 4 and 10 who presented with unexplained reduced vision, amblyopia, or strabismus, whose conventional fundoscopic examinations revealed only minimal or barely noticeable retinal changes. Using optical coherence tomography (OCT), the team found disorganization confined exclusively to the inner retinal layers while the outer retina and retinal pigment epithelium remained fully intact, representing the earliest confirmed phenotype of the condition ever reported. These findings support a revised developmental model in which CHRRPE originates within the inner retina and only gradually extends toward deeper layers over time, contradicting the traditional assumption that the tumor involves the full retinal thickness from its earliest stages. The study highlights the essential role of OCT in diagnosing subtle CHRRPE variants in children with otherwise unexplained visual impairment and in distinguishing this benign lesion from potentially malignant retinal tumors.
Case reports in ophthalmology
Source →RNAscope-based HER2 mRNA detection shows high concordance with fluorescence in situ hybridization in invasive breast carcinoma: a retrospective study.
Hua W, et al
Researchers investigated whether RNAscope, an emerging RNA in situ hybridization technique, could reliably determine HER2 status in invasive breast cancer cases where standard immunohistochemistry (IHC) testing produces equivocal results. The study retrospectively analyzed 35 invasive ductal carcinoma cases with ambiguous IHC 2+ scores, comparing RNAscope results against fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), the current gold-standard confirmatory test. RNAscope achieved 85.7% overall concordance with FISH and, most notably, correctly identified all 12 FISH-confirmed HER2-positive cases with 100% sensitivity. In five cases where RNAscope indicated HER2 positivity but FISH did not, next-generation sequencing (NGS) subsequently confirmed HER2 amplification or overexpression in four of them, suggesting that RNAscope may capture true positive cases that FISH misses. These findings are clinically meaningful because accurate HER2 determination directly governs whether breast cancer patients qualify for targeted therapies such as trastuzumab, and RNAscope offers a sensitive, reliable adjunct for resolving diagnostically challenging equivocal cases.
Translational cancer research
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