Latest Research
All publications from the Cancer3.AI database, newest first.
Urothelial Carcinoma of the Penile Urethra as a Potential Secondary Complication of Junctional Epidermolysis Bullosa: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.
McClatchy J, et al
Researchers report the rare case of an 81-year-old man with junctional epidermolysis bullosa (JEB), a severe inherited skin disorder causing chronic blistering, who developed an invasive high-grade urothelial carcinoma of the penile urethra at age 74. The tumor was first noticed as a non-healing ulcer near the urethral opening, arising against a background of recurrent blistering of the glans penis, and was confirmed as a pT2 papillary urothelial carcinoma without distant spread. The patient was treated with partial urethrotomy and remains in remission, alongside management of multiple metastatic skin squamous cell carcinomas also linked to his JEB. The authors propose that chronic inflammation and tissue scarring caused by JEB create a permissive tumor microenvironment that may drive malignant transformation in mucosal tissues, not just skin. This case highlights the importance of monitoring patients with JEB for internal mucosal cancers, particularly in the urogenital tract, expanding clinical awareness beyond the well-known skin cancer risk.
Case reports in dermatological medicine
Source →The value of hysterectomy in the management of gestational trophoblastic neoplasia: a retrospective analysis.
Niu Y, et al
Researchers conducted a retrospective study examining the role of hysterectomy in treating gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (GTN), a group of rare pregnancy-related tumors, analyzing outcomes in 96 patients treated between 2014 and 2023. The study found that patients who underwent hysterectomy as a first-line treatment required significantly fewer chemotherapy cycles to achieve remission compared to those who had surgery only after chemotherapy had failed, with a median of just 2 cycles versus 7 cycles respectively. In low-risk patients, primary surgery alone was curative in selected cases, effectively eliminating the need for chemotherapy and its associated side effects. Hysterectomy also proved to be a definitive treatment option for rare chemotherapy-resistant tumor types, including placental site trophoblastic tumor and epithelioid trophoblastic tumor. The overall survival rate across the GTN cohort reached an impressive 95%, supporting the safety of this surgical approach. These findings suggest that timely integration of hysterectomy into individualized treatment plans can reduce patients' exposure to systemic chemotherapy while maintaining excellent survival outcomes.
World journal of surgical oncology
Source →PIK3CA mutation in ER-negative and HER2-positive breast cancer with apocrine differentiation.
Nozaki F, et al
Researchers investigated the prevalence and functional role of PIK3CA gene mutations in a rare breast cancer subtype called carcinoma with apocrine differentiation, which is typically estrogen receptor (ER)-negative and often HER2-positive. Currently, PIK3CA-targeted therapies such as alpelisib are approved only for hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative breast cancers, meaning patients with apocrine carcinoma are routinely excluded from both mutation testing and targeted treatment. The study analyzed tumor samples from 20 apocrine carcinoma cases and 70 standard invasive breast cancer cases, finding PIK3CA mutations in 15% of apocrine tumors overall, and in 25% of the ER-negative, HER2-positive apocrine cases specifically. Laboratory experiments using gene silencing (siRNA) confirmed that cancer cell lines harboring PIK3CA mutations depended on this gene for their growth, while a cell line without the mutation was unaffected, demonstrating functional significance of these mutations. These findings suggest that patients with apocrine carcinoma should be offered PIK3CA mutation testing regardless of hormone receptor status, as they may stand to benefit from targeted PI3K inhibitor therapies that are currently not considered for this group.
Breast cancer (Tokyo, Japan)
Source →Analysis of cancer stem cell mechanism and immune profiling in breast cancer of unknown primary.
Ren M, et al
Researchers investigated the molecular and immune characteristics of breast cancer of unknown primary (CUP), a poorly understood condition in which metastatic cancer is detected but the original tumor site cannot be identified. By analyzing gene expression in thirteen breast CUP samples and comparing them to five known metastatic breast cancers, the team found that CUPs display complex genomic alterations related to stem cell activity, a more inflamed immune microenvironment, and elevated levels of immune checkpoint marker PD-L1. A gene called TCL1A was found to be significantly overexpressed in CUP, and laboratory experiments showed that when TCL1A is artificially increased in triple-negative breast cancer cells, it drives tumor cell proliferation, invasion, and resistance to cell death while activating a signaling pathway known as AKT. These findings suggest that the TCL1A-AKT molecular axis plays a central role in the aggressive nature of CUP and may represent a promising target for future therapies. For patients with this difficult-to-treat cancer, these discoveries open the door to more targeted treatment strategies and a better biological understanding of why CUP behaves so differently from ordinary metastatic breast cancer.
Clinical and experimental medicine
Source →A rare case of multifocal prostatic blue nevus: a case report.
Kalantari MR, et al
A case report published in the International Journal of Surgery Case Reports describes an exceptionally rare benign condition called prostatic blue nevus (PBN), a melanocytic lesion found in the prostate gland. A 59-year-old Iranian man presenting with elevated PSA levels and urinary symptoms underwent a prostate biopsy, which unexpectedly revealed blue nevus in 4 of 12 tissue cores. Microscopic examination showed pigmented spindle-shaped cells, and specialized immunohistochemical staining confirmed the diagnosis, ruling out malignant melanoma. The case highlights that prostatic blue nevus can mimic dangerous cancerous lesions, making accurate diagnosis critical to avoid unnecessary and potentially harmful treatments. Clinicians are encouraged to maintain awareness of this rare entity, as patients with confirmed PBN have an excellent prognosis and require no additional intervention beyond standard screening.
International journal of surgery case reports
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