Latest Research
All publications from the Cancer3.AI database, newest first.
Outcomes of Adjuvant Radiation Therapy in Penile Cancer.
Prasai G, et al
Researchers conducted a 14-year retrospective study evaluating the long-term effectiveness of adjuvant radiation therapy (RT) in 30 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the penis who underwent surgery followed by RT, with or without concurrent chemotherapy, between 2010 and 2022. The median age of patients was 57 years, and the median follow-up period was 84 months, providing meaningful long-term data on this relatively rare cancer. The study found a median overall survival of 77.2 months, with 5-year and 7-year survival rates of 52% and 46% respectively, while the 5-year recurrence-free survival was 66%. Among the 8 patients who experienced recurrence, 6 had locoregional relapse and 2 developed distant metastases, and radiation therapy was generally well tolerated with lymphedema being the most common side effect. These findings highlight that despite the use of adjuvant RT, survival outcomes remain suboptimal and locoregional relapse rates are high, underscoring the urgent need for improved and more effective treatment strategies for penile cancer patients.
Advances in radiation oncology
Source →Robotic distal pancreatectomy with a left posterior approach.
Okazaki M, et al
Researchers have described a novel surgical technique called the 'left posterior approach' for performing robotic distal pancreatectomy in patients with pancreatic cancer. In this approach, surgeons access the pancreas from the dorsal and caudal direction, dissecting along the left renal vein and left adrenal gland before lifting the pancreas ventrally to expose key vascular structures, including the splenic artery and superior mesenteric artery. This 'artery-first' strategy allows surgeons to secure and manage the splenic artery from behind the pancreas — a step traditionally performed from above — enabling both vascular control and lymph node dissection to be completed within the same operative field. The technique was demonstrated in a small case series with accompanying surgical videos, highlighting its feasibility in a robotic setting. For patients with left-sided pancreatic cancer, this approach may offer improved oncological safety by ensuring early vascular control and thorough en bloc removal of surrounding lymphatic tissue. Establishing standardized robotic techniques for distal pancreatectomy remains an important goal in surgical oncology, and this report contributes a reproducible method that merits further evaluation in larger studies.
Surgical oncology
Source →Update to non-medulloblastoma embryonal tumours: What neuroradiologists should know.
Maldonado F, et al
A new review published in the journal Radiologia examines the imaging characteristics of non-medulloblastoma embryonal tumours of the central nervous system, a rare and heterogeneous group of brain cancers that predominantly affect children. The study was prompted by the significant reclassification of these tumours in the 2021 fifth edition of the World Health Organization's CNS Tumour classification, which introduced new tumour types based on molecular biology. The authors describe the radiological features of each tumour subtype to help neuroradiologists navigate the increased diagnostic complexity introduced by these classification changes. Because imaging data on many of these newly defined tumours remains scarce, this review consolidates available evidence into a practical reference for clinical practice. Accurate imaging-based identification of these tumours is critical, as correct diagnosis directly influences treatment planning and patient outcomes in pediatric neuro-oncology.
Radiologia
Source →Multicenter validation of amide proton transfer imaging for the classification of adult-type diffuse gliomas.
Jiang T, et al
Researchers from three medical centers conducted a multicenter study to evaluate whether amide proton transfer (APT) MRI imaging can accurately classify adult-type diffuse gliomas following the updated 2021 WHO classification system. The study enrolled 123 patients and used a standardized whole-brain imaging protocol to measure APTw values in tumor regions, then tested how well these values could distinguish between key glioma characteristics such as IDH mutation status, tumor grade, and subtype. Results showed strong classification performance, with pooled areas under the ROC curve of 0.84 for IDH genotyping and 0.83 for tumor grading, and particularly high accuracy of 0.93 for distinguishing glioblastomas from oligodendrogliomas. The findings demonstrate that APT imaging is a robust, non-invasive tool that performs consistently across different clinical sites, which is an important step toward its broader adoption in routine brain tumor diagnostics. However, the study also identified remaining challenges in differentiating certain glioma subtypes, pointing to areas where further research is needed.
Magnetic resonance imaging
Source →Hydatidiform Moles: The Contribution of Ancillary Techniques in Refining Their Histopathological Diagnosis.
Balan TA, et al
Researchers from the Pathology Department of 'Elena Doamna' Clinical Hospital in Iași, Romania, conducted a retrospective study to improve the diagnostic accuracy of hydatidiform moles (HMs), the most common form of gestational trophoblastic disease, which can be difficult to distinguish from non-molar pregnancies using routine microscopy alone. The team analyzed 64 cases diagnosed between 2010 and 2024 in women aged 17–36 years, supplementing standard tissue examination with immunohistochemical (IHC) staining for four markers: p57, Ki-67, β-hCG, and E-cadherin. Key findings showed that p57 protein was absent in 82% of complete hydatidiform moles (CHMs) but present in all partial moles (PHMs) and hydropic abortions (HAs), making it a highly reliable marker for distinguishing these conditions, while Ki-67 and β-hCG expression levels also tracked meaningfully with disease type. The study concluded that morphological assessment alone is insufficient for accurate HM classification and that an integrated algorithmic approach combining histology, immunohistochemistry, and DNA genotyping is essential to reduce diagnostic errors. For patients and clinicians, this matters because misclassification of molar pregnancies can lead to inadequate follow-up and delayed detection of potentially malignant gestational trophoblastic neoplasia. The proposed diagnostic framework offers a practical, reproducible pathway to improve patient outcomes and reduce interobserver variability in pathology practice.
International journal of molecular sciences
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