Latest Research
All publications from the Cancer3.AI database, newest first.
A Case of Metastatic Melanoma Refractory to Immunotherapy: Is Cytotoxic Chemotherapy Still an Effective Option?
Anwar M, et al
Researchers at Cureus journal published a case report examining whether traditional cytotoxic chemotherapy can still offer benefit to patients with metastatic melanoma who no longer respond to modern immunotherapy treatments. The patient, a 63-year-old woman with BRAF wild-type mucosal melanoma, had experienced disease progression despite receiving a powerful combination of immune checkpoint inhibitors, ipilimumab and nivolumab. Remarkably, she achieved an exceptional and long-lasting response when treated with cisplatin and dacarbazine, two older chemotherapy drugs that are generally considered ineffective in melanoma. This case challenges the assumption that chemotherapy has no role in advanced melanoma and suggests it may serve as a valuable rescue option for carefully selected patients whose disease has become refractory to immunotherapy. Clinicians managing treatment-resistant melanoma cases may wish to reconsider cytotoxic chemotherapy as part of their therapeutic strategy rather than dismissing it entirely.
Cureus
Source →Head and Neck Kaposi Sarcoma-An Updated Focus on Clinical and Epidemiological Characteristics: A Comprehensive Review.
Gaitán-Cepeda LA, et al
A comprehensive review published in the journal Diseases examined the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of oral Kaposi's sarcoma (OKS) across all known forms of the disease, drawing on literature spanning from 1957 to December 2024. Researchers analyzed 152 confirmed OKS patients from 117 articles, finding that the majority were male (75%) with a mean age of 38 years, and that the epidemic, AIDS-related form accounted for nearly two-thirds of all cases. The palate was the most frequently affected site (44.6%), followed by the gingiva (25.3%), with nodular or papular lesions being the most common presentation. A key concern highlighted by the authors is that declining familiarity with OKS among healthcare providers risks diagnostic errors, since oral Kaposi's sarcoma can closely resemble common gingival and periodontal conditions. The review underscores the importance of maintaining clinical awareness of this tumor across all patient groups, including those with classic, endemic, iatrogenic, and HIV-negative MSM forms of the disease.
Diseases (Basel, Switzerland)
Source →Elucidating the binding and metabolic interactions of sunitinib and sorafenib with Cytochrome P450s CYP2U1 and CYP2D6.
Tang TY, et al
Researchers investigated how two enzymes, CYP2U1 and CYP2D6, break down two widely used cancer drugs—sorafenib and sunitinib—which are prescribed for thymus cancers. The enzymes were embedded in nanodiscs (tiny lipid structures that mimic cell membranes) and exposed to both drugs, revealing that CYP2U1 and CYP2D6 convert sorafenib into sorafenib N-oxide and sunitinib into N-desethyl sunitinib. Strikingly, the metabolite sorafenib N-oxide proved approximately twice as potent as the original sorafenib drug in blocking cancer cell migration in liver cancer cells, while the sunitinib metabolite showed weaker inhibitory effects than its parent compound. Molecular dynamics simulations identified specific amino acid residues in CYP2U1's active site that interact with both drugs, providing a structural explanation for these metabolic transformations. These findings are clinically significant because CYP2U1 is highly expressed in thymus tissue, suggesting that local drug metabolism at the tumor site—rather than only liver metabolism—can directly influence the effectiveness of these cancer therapies. This work opens the door to designing improved tyrosine kinase inhibitors or dosing strategies that account for extrahepatic metabolism.
Molecular pharmacology
Source →Intracholecystic papillary neoplasm in a pediatric patient: a case report.
Alhajj E, et al
Researchers report the first known pediatric case of intracholecystic papillary neoplasm (ICPN), a rare premalignant tumor of the bile duct system that has previously been documented almost exclusively in adults. A 14-year-old girl presented with jaundice, abdominal pain, and weight loss, and imaging revealed a massively dilated common bile duct containing a tissue mass that was initially difficult to distinguish from other biliary cancers. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) with tissue biopsy was critical in reaching the correct diagnosis, as advanced MRI imaging was unavailable. Surgeons performed a complex pancreaticoduodenectomy (Whipple procedure) after discovering the tumor had invaded the duodenum, and pathology confirmed ICPN with moderate dysplasia. Tragically, the patient died one month after surgery from massive gastrointestinal bleeding, highlighting the serious risks associated with major hepatobiliary surgery. This case serves as an important reminder for clinicians that ICPN should be considered in pediatric patients presenting with biliary obstruction, and that ERCP with biopsy is essential when advanced imaging is not available.
International journal of surgery case reports
Source →Germline Variants in Bladder and Upper Tract Urothelial Cancers: Prevalence and Clinical Context in a Large Testing Registry.
Monda SM, et al
A large retrospective study analyzed germline (inherited) genetic variants in 3,561 patients with bladder cancer or upper tract urothelial cancer (UTUC) who underwent genetic testing at Myriad Genetics between 1996 and 2025. Researchers found that 20% of all patients harbored pathogenic or likely pathogenic germline variants, with mismatch repair (MMR) gene mutations—hallmarks of Lynch syndrome—being especially prevalent: 27% of UTUC patients carried an MSH2 variant compared with 7.6% of those with bladder-only cancer. Crucially, the study revealed that 58% of all patients with an MSH2 mutation presented with bladder cancer alone rather than upper tract disease, meaning Lynch syndrome carriers are frequently missed if only UTUC patients are tested. Prior non-urothelial cancers were reported in 54–63% of MMR carriers and 35–41% of homologous recombination repair (HRR) carriers, highlighting that a suggestive personal or family cancer history often precedes urothelial cancer diagnosis. These findings underscore the need for routine germline testing in all patients with UTUC, and strongly support expanding genetic testing to a broader population of urothelial cancer patients, including those with bladder-only disease, to identify hereditary cancer risk that might otherwise go undetected.
European urology open science
Source →