Latest Research
All publications from the Cancer3.AI database, newest first.
The expression of p16 , epidermal growth factor receptor and CD44 in squamous cell carcinoma uterine cervix.
Gupta K, et al
Researchers in India investigated the expression of three molecular markers — p16, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), and CD44 — in 62 cases of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the uterine cervix, a cancer largely driven by persistent human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. Using immunohistochemistry, the team assessed how these markers correlated with tumor grade and clinical stage. The key finding was that CD44 expression rose significantly with advancing clinical stage, suggesting it could serve as a useful tool for staging cervical cancer. Additionally, positive correlations were found between EGFR and CD44, and between p16 and EGFR, supporting the hypothesis that HPV infection alters EGFR biology by preventing its normal degradation. These findings contribute to a growing body of evidence that molecular markers can complement traditional pathological assessment and may ultimately guide more targeted treatment strategies for cervical cancer patients.
Indian journal of pathology & microbiology
Source →Predicting hormone receptor status in tumors: An innovative approach using breast ultrasound-radiomics combined model.
Yin X, et al
Researchers developed a noninvasive imaging model combining breast ultrasound with radiomics to predict hormone receptor (HR) status in invasive breast cancer, studying 186 confirmed patients. Traditional methods of determining HR status rely on invasive biopsies and immunohistochemistry, which may miss the full complexity of tumor variation across different regions. The combined model achieved an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.728 and an accuracy of 67.9%, while the best-performing individual model, based on the internal echo features of the tumor, reached an AUC of 0.753. The study also found that HR-negative tumors tended to be larger, showed higher proliferation activity (Ki-67), and displayed greater textural irregularity on imaging compared to HR-positive tumors. These findings suggest that ultrasound-based radiomics could offer clinicians a cost-effective, radiation-free tool to guide treatment decisions and personalize therapy without the need for tissue sampling.
Medicine
Source →Hi-C for genome-wide detection of enhancer-hijacking rearrangements in routine lymphoid cancer biopsies.
Wu J, et al
Researchers applied a tissue-compatible version of Hi-C, a technique that maps the three-dimensional folding of the entire genome, to 44 clinical biopsy samples from patients with various lymphoid cancers, including large B cell lymphomas and plasma cell neoplasms preserved in standard formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) format. The technology detected known cancer-driving gene rearrangements with high agreement compared to the conventional fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) test, while also uncovering previously unrecognized rearrangements involving genes such as BCL2, CCND1, MYC, and BCL6, including subtle variants that standard tests would miss. Hi-C further identified unexpected rearrangements near PD-1 ligand genes, which are directly relevant to immunotherapy decisions, and provided structural context that helped distinguish between functionally different subtypes of BCL6 rearrangements with differing treatment implications. The study also revealed that the MYC gene adopts distinct three-dimensional configurations depending on the specific lymphoma subtype, a finding linked to disease-specific enhancer activity and the location of chromosomal breakpoints. These results demonstrate that FFPE-compatible Hi-C can serve as a comprehensive, single-test alternative to multiple conventional assays, uncovering clinically actionable genomic drivers that current diagnostic approaches routinely overlook.
Cell genomics
Source →Oridonin regulates pituitary-derived folliculostellate cells apoptosis via the p38 MAPK/p53 signalling pathway.
Yuan X, et al
Researchers investigated the molecular mechanisms by which oridonin (ORI), a natural compound, triggers cell death in pituitary-derived folliculostellate (PDFS) cells, which are implicated in non-functioning pituitary adenomas — tumors that currently lack effective drug treatments. Using molecular docking, cell-based assays, and a mouse xenograft model, the study found that ORI binds directly to the p38 MAPK protein and activates the p38 MAPK/p53 signalling pathway, leading to increased expression of pro-apoptotic proteins Bax and cleaved caspase-3 while reducing the survival protein Bcl-2. When the p38 MAPK pathway was chemically blocked with the inhibitor SB202190, the anti-tumor effects of ORI were reversed, confirming that this pathway is essential to its mechanism of action. In live animal experiments, ORI suppressed tumor growth at doses of 5 and 10 mg/kg without causing significant toxicity to major organs. These findings suggest that oridonin is a promising candidate for the pharmacological treatment of non-functioning pituitary adenomas and warrants further clinical investigation.
European journal of pharmacology
Source →Metastasis of Castration-Resistant Prostate Adenocarcinoma to the Lacrimal Gland: A Case Report.
Milic N, et al
A newly published case report in Reports (MDPI) describes an exceptionally rare occurrence of prostate cancer spreading to the lacrimal gland — the tear-producing gland located near the eye. The patient, a 49-year-old man with advanced, castration-resistant prostate adenocarcinoma (Gleason score 9) and existing bone and lymph node metastases, developed drooping of the left eyelid thirteen months after his initial diagnosis. CT imaging revealed an enlarged left lacrimal gland, and a surgical biopsy confirmed the lesion was a metastasis originating from his prostate cancer. Despite all available treatments, the patient died six months after the onset of eye symptoms, underscoring the aggressive nature of the disease at this stage. The authors emphasize that clinicians treating patients with advanced prostate cancer should consider metastatic disease as a possible explanation for any new orbital or eye-area lesions, since imaging alone may not distinguish metastases from primary orbital tumors. This report adds to a very limited body of literature on orbital metastases from prostate cancer and highlights the importance of prompt biopsy and multidisciplinary evaluation in such cases.
Reports (MDPI)
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