Latest Research
All publications from the Cancer3.AI database, newest first.
Extranodal Follicular Dendritic Cell Sarcomas and their Oligorecurrences: Lessons Learnt at a Single Tertiary Cancer Referral Centre, India.
Kaderi AS, et al
Researchers at a tertiary cancer referral center in India conducted a retrospective study of 14 patients diagnosed with extranodal follicular dendritic cell sarcoma (ENFDCS), a rare and aggressive malignancy arising outside the lymph nodes at sites including the colon, retroperitoneum, rectum, mesentery, liver, and pelvis. Nearly 29% of cases were initially misdiagnosed, underscoring the significant diagnostic challenge posed by this rare tumor, which requires confirmation through morphology and specific immunohistochemical markers such as CD21, CD23, and CD35. Surgery was established as the cornerstone of treatment, with 4 of 5 patients primarily operated at the center remaining disease-free, and multimodal therapy combining surgery with chemotherapy or radiotherapy produced durable survival even in patients presenting with recurrent or residual disease. At a median follow-up of 26 months, median overall survival was not reached, median disease-free survival was 24 months, and 10 of 14 patients were alive at last follow-up. These findings highlight the critical importance of early recognition, accurate histopathological diagnosis, and prompt referral to specialized oncologic centers to optimize outcomes in this exceptionally rare malignancy.
Indian journal of surgical oncology
Source →Prognostic modeling and validation of middle ear malignancy outcomes on the basis of SEER population data.
Ren Y, et al
A new retrospective study analyzed data from 206 patients diagnosed with malignant neoplasms of the middle ear, a rare and aggressive cancer, using the U.S. Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database spanning 1975 to 2021, aiming to identify key prognostic factors and build a personalized survival prediction tool. Radiotherapy, administered to 56% of patients, was paradoxically associated with a 72% higher risk of mortality compared to untreated patients, though the authors caution this likely reflects treatment selection bias inherent to retrospective data rather than a genuine harmful effect of the therapy. Older age (65 years or above) was linked to a 2.6-fold increase in mortality risk, and advanced tumor stage significantly worsened overall survival outcomes. Researchers developed a prognostic nomogram incorporating age, race, tumor laterality, stage, surgical intervention, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy, achieving solid predictive accuracy with AUC values of 0.707, 0.740, and 0.752 for 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival prediction, respectively. This nomogram may serve as a practical clinical tool to guide individualized treatment planning for patients with this uncommon malignancy, while the authors stress that prospective studies are urgently needed to validate these findings and clarify the true role of radiotherapy.
Translational cancer research
Source →89Zr/177Lu-labeled claudin-6 antibody exhibits effective targeted radiodiagnostic and therapeutic efficacy in gynecological cancers.
Hao X, et al
Researchers developed radiolabeled antibodies targeting claudin-6 (CLDN6), a protein highly expressed in ovarian cancer and uterine corpus endometrial cancer but absent in healthy tissues, making it an ideal target for cancer-specific treatment. The antibody IMAB027 was labeled with two different radioactive isotopes — zirconium-89 (⁸⁹Zr) for imaging and lutetium-177 (¹⁷⁷Lu) for therapy — enabling both precise tumor detection and targeted radiation delivery. In animal models, the ⁸⁹Zr-labeled antibody accumulated specifically in tumor tissue within 96 hours of injection, allowing high-quality immuno-PET imaging with minimal uptake in healthy organs. Treatment with the ¹⁷⁷Lu-labeled antibody at a dose of 11.1 MBq significantly slowed tumor growth, extended survival, and demonstrated a more favorable safety profile compared to non-radioactive drug treatment. These findings suggest that the dual ⁸⁹Zr/¹⁷⁷Lu-IMAB027 platform could offer gynecological cancer patients a theranostic approach — combining diagnosis and therapy in a single targeted agent — with strong potential for clinical translation.
European journal of pharmaceutical sciences : official journal of the European Federation for Pharmaceutical Sciences
Source →Multi-Omics Analysis of CDKN2A (p16INK4a) in Cervical Carcinoma in the Context of Human Papillomavirus and in Endometrial Carcinoma.
Elsayim R, et al
Researchers conducted a comprehensive multi-omics investigation of the tumor suppressor gene CDKN2A (p16INK4a) across two gynecologic cancers: cervical squamous cell carcinoma (CESC), which is strongly linked to human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, and uterine corpus endometrial carcinoma (UCEC), which is largely HPV-independent. Using publicly available genomic databases including TCGA, GTEx, GEO, and the Human Protein Atlas, the team assessed CDKN2A expression, protein levels, diagnostic performance, survival associations, and immune cell interactions across thousands of tumor and normal tissue samples. The study found that CDKN2A is highly overexpressed in both cancer types at the RNA and protein levels, with outstanding ability to distinguish tumor from normal tissue in cervical cancer (AUC = 0.982) and moderate discriminatory capacity in endometrial cancer (AUC = 0.761). Survival analyses revealed that CDKN2A has limited prognostic value in cervical cancer but context-dependent associations in endometrial cancer, suggesting its biological role differs between these tumors. These findings confirm that p16 is a robust diagnostic biomarker for HPV-related cervical cancer and suggest it may also serve a supplementary diagnostic role in endometrial carcinoma, where its interpretation must account for tumor-specific biological context. Clinicians evaluating gynecologic malignancies may benefit from considering CDKN2A expression patterns as part of a broader diagnostic framework, particularly as its utility appears to extend beyond HPV-associated disease.
Genes
Source →Clear cell adenocarcinoma of the cervix in a perimenopausal woman: a case report and immunohistochemical study.
Liu R, et al
Researchers from a clinical team report a rare case of clear cell adenocarcinoma of the cervix (CCAC) in a 46-year-old perimenopausal woman who had none of the typical risk factors — no exposure to the hormone drug diethylstilbestrol (DES) in the womb and no high-risk HPV infection. The patient presented with abnormal vaginal bleeding and imaging revealed a large cervical mass measuring nearly 5 by 7 centimeters, leading to a diagnosis of advanced-stage (FIGO IB3) cervical cancer. The woman underwent radical surgery, and the diagnosis was confirmed through a specific panel of immunohistochemical markers: the tumor tested positive for PAX-8 and napsin-A, showed only partial positivity for p16, and had a high proliferation index (Ki-67 at 70%), all consistent with an HPV-independent cancer. This case is clinically significant because it demonstrates that CCAC can arise spontaneously without known risk factors, making it easy to miss or misclassify on routine screening. The findings highlight how immunohistochemistry is essential for accurately diagnosing this rare cervical cancer subtype, especially in patients who do not fit the expected clinical profile.
Discover oncology
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