Latest Research
All publications from the Cancer3.AI database, newest first.
Typical carcinoid tumor originating from the tracheal carina managed with carinal resection and neo-carinal bronchoplastic reconstruction: a case report.
Aldakak MA, et al
This case report describes a rare presentation of a typical carcinoid tumor arising directly from the tracheal carina, the anatomical Y-shaped junction where the trachea bifurcates into the two main bronchi supplying the lungs. Typical carcinoid tumors are slow-growing, low-grade neuroendocrine neoplasms that only rarely originate at this surgically challenging location, making definitive management particularly complex. The patient was treated with carinal resection — complete surgical removal of the bifurcation — followed by neo-carinal bronchoplastic reconstruction, an advanced airway surgery technique used to restore continuity of the central airways by fashioning a new carina. The successful outcome demonstrates that complete surgical resection with bronchoplastic reconstruction is technically feasible and can achieve curative intent even for carcinoid tumors located at this critical airway junction. This report provides valuable technical guidance for thoracic surgeons encountering this uncommon clinical scenario and supports an aggressive surgical approach as the treatment of choice for resectable carinal neuroendocrine tumors.
Journal of cardiothoracic surgery
Source →Long-Term Outcomes After Gamma Knife Radiosurgery for Craniopharyngioma: A Single-Center Retrospective Study.
Reyes JS, et al
Craniopharyngiomas are benign but clinically challenging brain tumors arising near the pituitary gland that carry a significant risk of recurrence and long-term complications despite their non-malignant nature. This retrospective single-center study evaluated long-term outcomes in 72 patients treated with Gamma Knife radiosurgery (GKRS), a highly precise non-invasive radiation technique, over a median follow-up exceeding nine years. While only 6.9% of patients experienced radiographic tumor progression, a total of 34.7% ultimately required additional intervention, demonstrating that symptom-driven treatments must be counted alongside imaging changes when assessing true treatment success. Smaller tumors with a gross tumor volume below 2.0 cubic centimeters showed markedly better radiographic control, with only a 2.3% failure rate compared to 15.4% for larger tumors, and within the larger-tumor group, a margin dose of at least 12.5 Gy appeared to eliminate radiographic failures entirely. Overall survival was excellent at 93.6% at five years and 88.9% at ten years, confirming GKRS as a durable management strategy. These findings offer clinicians practical guidance on dose selection based on tumor volume and suggest that a threshold dose of 12.5 Gy for larger craniopharyngiomas deserves prospective validation.
Neurosurgery
Source →Intraoperative MRI in pediatric brain tumor surgery: an 18-year single-center experience.
Aftahy AK, et al
Researchers at a single center reviewed 18 years of experience using intraoperative MRI (iMRI) during brain tumor surgery in 156 pediatric patients, with the study period spanning 2007 to 2024 and a median patient age of 8 years. The most frequent tumor types were pilocytic astrocytoma (30%) and craniopharyngioma (13%), and gross-total resection was ultimately achieved in 76% of all cases. Crucially, iMRI detected safely removable residual tumor in 23% of procedures, prompting additional resection that converted an incomplete removal into a complete one in 30 patients. No complications were attributable to the iMRI workflow itself, and at approximately six months postoperatively, functional status had improved in 10% of patients, remained stable in 89%, and worsened in less than 1%. The authors conclude that iMRI serves as a valuable real-time resection-control tool in pediatric brain tumor surgery, although the absence of a concurrent control group means the study cannot establish that iMRI leads to better outcomes than surgery performed without it.
Child's nervous system : ChNS : official journal of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery
Source →Next-Generation Therapies for Meningioma: Overcoming Barriers and Expanding Treatment Options.
Sheikhmiri S, et al
This comprehensive review examines the evolving treatment landscape for meningioma, the most common primary brain tumor, with a focus on how recent molecular discoveries are reshaping therapeutic strategies beyond conventional surgery and radiotherapy. While surgery combined with adjuvant radiotherapy achieves high cure rates for many patients, significant challenges remain for those with high-grade tumors, lesions in eloquent brain regions, or medical conditions precluding surgery. A key advance highlighted in the review is a new molecular classification system that stratifies meningiomas into four consensus groups—Immunogenic (MG1), NF2-wildtype (MG2), Hypermetabolic (MG3), and Proliferative (MG4)—each carrying distinct prognostic and therapeutic implications. The authors evaluate a broad range of emerging precision therapies, including inhibitors of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR and Sonic Hedgehog pathways, CDK4/6 inhibitors such as palbociclib and abemaciclib, angiogenesis inhibitors like sunitinib, PD-1/PD-L1 immune checkpoint inhibitors, and peptide receptor radionuclide therapy. The review concludes that overcoming treatment resistance and inter-patient variability will require biomarker-driven, personalized approaches, offering clinicians a roadmap for improving outcomes in patients with difficult-to-treat meningiomas.
Cancer investigation
Source →Knowledge, awareness, and perceptions of meningioma epidemiology among undergraduate medical students in Enugu, Nigeria: a cross-sectional mixed-methods study.
Uzoechina G, et al
A cross-sectional mixed-methods study conducted among undergraduate medical students in Enugu, Nigeria assessed their knowledge, awareness, and perceptions regarding the epidemiology of meningioma, one of the most common primary intracranial tumors. The research used both quantitative and qualitative approaches to capture the breadth and depth of students' understanding of meningioma risk factors, incidence patterns, and demographic characteristics. Findings indicated notable gaps in students' knowledge of meningioma epidemiology, suggesting that neurosurgical and neuro-oncological topics may be insufficiently covered in undergraduate medical curricula in this region. These educational deficiencies have practical implications, as a lack of awareness among future clinicians can delay diagnosis and referral of patients presenting with meningioma symptoms. The authors emphasize that targeted curriculum improvements in Nigerian medical schools could strengthen early clinical recognition of this tumor and ultimately improve patient outcomes in a resource-limited healthcare setting.
BMC medical education
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