Latest Research
All publications from the Cancer3.AI database, newest first.
Functional Voice Restoration After Laryngeal Transplantation: A Multidisciplinary Protocol and Longitudinal Outcomes.
Zeng B, et al
Researchers from a multidisciplinary team developed and evaluated the first standardized voice rehabilitation protocol for patients who have undergone laryngeal transplantation, a rare surgical procedure that replaces a removed larynx with a donor organ. Four male patients — three with laryngeal cancer and one with hypopharyngeal cancer — were assessed at one, three, six, and eight months after surgery using both subjective voice quality scales and objective acoustic and laryngoscopic measurements, while receiving weekly personalized speech therapy. All four patients showed progressive improvements in voice quality, including reductions in hoarseness, breathiness, and vocal weakness, with the best-performing patient achieving a maximum phonation time of over ten seconds by eight months post-surgery. Sensory function of the laryngeal lining began to recover around three months after the operation, and compensatory vocal mechanisms were observed by eight months, suggesting that the transplanted organ gradually re-establishes neurological connections. The study concludes that a structured, milestone-based rehabilitation program anchored to neuromuscular reinnervation can meaningfully restore voice function after laryngeal transplantation, filling a critical gap in evidence-based care for this rare procedure. These findings provide a practical framework for other medical centers offering laryngeal transplantation to guide postoperative voice therapy in a consistent and effective manner.
International journal of language & communication disorders
Source →Diagnosis of Prostate Cancer via Transanal Endoscopic Ultrasound-Guided Fine-Needle Biopsy in a Patient With Bone Lesions and a Rapid Clinical Response to Enzalutamide Plus Degarelix.
Sasaki A, et al
Researchers from Japan report a case in which a novel biopsy technique successfully diagnosed prostate cancer in a 67-year-old man who could not undergo standard prostate biopsy procedures. The patient presented with severe bone pain, difficulty walking, and widespread bone lesions, along with a markedly elevated PSA level of 5,230 ng/mL, but conventional biopsy routes were unavailable due to the absence of urology services and the patient's severe claustrophobia preventing MRI. Using transanal endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle biopsy (EUS-FNB), clinicians obtained tissue from the prostate through the rectal wall using a thin needle guided by ultrasound imaging during an endoscopy procedure, confirming PSA-positive adenocarcinoma. Following histological confirmation, the patient was started on a combination of enzalutamide and degarelix, two hormonal therapies targeting androgen signaling, and experienced a dramatic recovery: PSA dropped from 5,230 to 11.3 ng/mL within two months, pain resolved, and the patient returned to work within three months. This case demonstrates that transanal EUS-FNB is a viable, minimally invasive alternative for prostate cancer diagnosis when standard biopsy methods are not feasible, enabling timely initiation of life-changing therapy.
Cureus
Source →Functional connectivity in electroencephalography of brain tumor patients in status epilepticus: a retrospective evaluation of prognostic value.
Kuba P, et al
Researchers investigated whether brain electrical activity patterns — measured using electroencephalography (EEG) — could predict survival or distinguish tumor types in patients with brain tumors who experienced status epilepticus, a life-threatening condition of prolonged seizures. The study analyzed EEG data from 37 patients, examining how different brain regions communicate with each other across various frequency bands using a measure called weighted Phase Lag Index. Results showed that patients who survived longer than one year tended to have stronger connectivity in alpha and beta frequency bands, while patients with brain metastases showed higher delta band connectivity compared to those with glioblastoma or meningioma. However, these differences were not statistically reliable enough for EEG connectivity to serve as a standalone prognostic tool. The authors conclude that larger and more carefully selected patient groups are needed before EEG-based connectivity analysis can be used in clinical decision-making for this population.
Quantitative imaging in medicine and surgery
Source →The Frequency of PD-L1 Marker Expression in ER Positive, PR Positive, HER2 Negative Invasive Breast Carcinomas, and Its Correlation with Clinicopathological Factors Affecting Prognosis.
Mohammadizadeh F, et al
A new study published in Advanced Biomedical Research investigated whether the immune checkpoint protein PD-L1 — a target of modern immunotherapy drugs — is expressed in a common subtype of breast cancer known as hormone receptor-positive (ER+/PR+), HER2-negative invasive breast carcinoma, and whether its presence correlates with factors that predict patient outcomes. Researchers examined tumor tissue samples from 50 patients using immunohistochemical staining, finding that PD-L1 expression was detected in only 12% of cases (6 out of 50 patients), while 88% of tumors showed no PD-L1 expression. Importantly, no statistically significant associations were found between PD-L1 positivity and key prognostic factors such as tumor grade, size, proliferative index, tumor subtype, or axillary lymph node involvement. These findings suggest that PD-L1 expression does not serve as a reliable prognostic marker in this particular breast cancer subtype, which is the most prevalent form of the disease. Clinically, this means that routine PD-L1 testing may have limited utility for guiding prognosis or treatment decisions in hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer patients, though larger studies will be needed to confirm these conclusions.
Advanced biomedical research
Source →The Temozolomide Mutational Signature: Mechanisms, Clinical Implications, and Therapeutic Opportunities in Primary Brain Tumor Management.
Yaacov A, et al
This review examines how temozolomide (TMZ), the standard chemotherapy for glioblastoma and other diffuse gliomas, paradoxically drives tumor evolution by inducing a characteristic pattern of DNA mutations known as the SBS11 mutational signature. TMZ kills cancer cells primarily by creating O6-methylguanine DNA lesions, but in doing so it selects for tumor subclones that have lost mismatch repair (MMR) function—most often through inactivation of the MSH6 gene—leading to a hypermutator phenotype with thousands of new mutations. Although this level of mutational burden is comparable to that seen in melanoma and lung cancer, gliomas with TMZ-induced hypermutation do not respond to immune checkpoint immunotherapy, likely due to the brain's immunosuppressive microenvironment, defective antigen presentation, and frequent corticosteroid use. The authors synthesize emerging therapeutic strategies that exploit the genomic instability caused by TMZ, including inhibitors of DNA-damage response proteins (PARP, ATR, WEE1, AURKA), alternative alkylating agents, metabolic interventions, and G-quadruplex stabilization. Critically, the review highlights the potential of cerebrospinal fluid-based liquid biopsies to detect evolving mutational signatures in real time, enabling treatment adaptation before tumors become visible on imaging. Reframing TMZ as an evolutionary agent rather than a simple cytotoxic drug opens new avenues for designing smarter, evolution-informed treatment strategies for patients with brain tumors.
Cells
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