Latest Research
All publications from the Cancer3.AI database, newest first.
Targeted Molecular Profiling of Circulating Cell-Free DNA in Patients With Gastroesophageal Adenocarcinoma.
Cytryn SL, et al
Researchers conducted a prospective study of 169 patients with gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma (GEA) to assess the clinical value of analyzing circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) in blood samples using a validated 129-gene next-generation sequencing assay called MSK-ACCESS. The study found that detection of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) at baseline was a stronger predictor of overall survival than standard AJCC clinical staging, and correctly identified lymph node metastasis in 87% of cases. Changes in tumor DNA levels in the bloodstream tracked more closely with pathologic responses to pre-surgical chemotherapy than PET scan measurements, offering a more precise window into treatment effectiveness. Critically, the reappearance or persistence of ctDNA after treatment detected disease recurrence a median of 7 months earlier than conventional imaging. These findings demonstrate that blood-based genomic profiling is a powerful complement to tissue biopsy, imaging, and clinical staging, with the potential to meaningfully improve prognostication, treatment monitoring, and early recurrence detection for patients with gastroesophageal cancer.
JCO precision oncology
Source →Micro-GIST with BRAF mutation arising in a Leiomyoma: a rare case report and literature review.
Zhang Y, et al
Researchers report the first documented case of a micro-gastrointestinal stromal tumor (micro-GIST) harboring a BRAF mutation that arose within a leiomyoma, a benign smooth muscle tumor of the stomach. A 60-year-old woman presented with a 1.6 cm gastric submucosal tumor that was successfully removed via laparoscopic wedge resection, after which detailed pathological and molecular analyses revealed two distinct tumor components coexisting within a single lesion. Histological examination identified a region of higher cell density consistent with GIST, confirmed by immunohistochemistry showing an interstitial cell of Cajal-like phenotype, while next-generation sequencing detected a BRAF mutation exclusively in the GIST component and no mutations in the surrounding leiomyoma tissue. This finding is notable because the vast majority of GISTs carry mutations in KIT or PDGFRA genes, and only one prior case of a GIST arising within a leiomyoma had ever been reported — involving a KIT mutation rather than BRAF. The case highlights the critical importance of thorough molecular testing in diagnosing unusual GIST variants, as BRAF-mutant tumors may potentially benefit from targeted BRAF inhibitor therapies that differ from standard GIST treatment.
Zeitschrift fur Gastroenterologie
Source →Helicobacter pylori activates histone lactylation to promote gastric cancer progression and immune evasion through the HAS2/c-MYC/PD-L1 axis.
Chen H, et al
This study investigated how infection with the stomach bacterium Helicobacter pylori drives gastric cancer progression and tumor immune evasion through epigenetic changes tied to cancer cell metabolism. Researchers found that H. pylori infection significantly elevates a specific histone modification called H3K18 lactylation (H3K18la) in gastric cancer cells, and that this mark directly activates the HAS2 gene, triggering a molecular cascade in which HAS2 promotes nuclear entry of the oncogene c-MYC, which then switches on PD-L1 — a surface protein that disables CD8+ T cells and shields the tumor from immune attack. Blocking lactate production through glycolysis inhibitors or by silencing the LDHA and LDHB genes markedly reduced H3K18la levels, slowed cancer cell growth, and restored the cancer-killing ability of CD8+ T cells in laboratory models. In mouse tumor models, combining the glycolysis inhibitor oxamate with anti-PD-1 immunotherapy synergistically increased immune cell infiltration and produced strong antitumor effects. These findings reveal a previously uncharacterized epigenetic mechanism linking bacterial infection to immune evasion in gastric cancer and provide compelling preclinical evidence that combining metabolic inhibition with PD-1 checkpoint blockade could benefit gastric cancer patients, especially those with H. pylori-associated disease.
Gut microbes
Source →Utility of Oesophagogastroduodenoscopy in Lynch Syndrome.
Tjandra D, et al
Researchers investigated the value of routine upper gastrointestinal endoscopy (oesophagogastroduodenoscopy, OGD) in patients with Lynch syndrome, a hereditary condition that substantially elevates the risk of multiple cancers. The retrospective study analysed 296 Lynch syndrome patients who collectively underwent 962 OGD procedures at a dedicated high-risk gastrointestinal clinic offering surveillance every two years. Strikingly, 22.6% of patients were found to harbour premalignant, dysplastic, or malignant lesions, with high-risk lesions showing a strong predilection for the duodenum; two patients (0.7%) were diagnosed with duodenal adenocarcinoma and dysplasia was detected in 3.0% overall. Tobacco smoking emerged as a significant risk factor for premalignant lesions, although no independent predictors of dysplasia or malignancy were identified in multivariable modelling. These findings provide compelling evidence that routine OGD surveillance is clinically justified in Lynch syndrome and may help resolve the current inconsistency among international guidelines on upper gastrointestinal monitoring in this population.
Journal of clinical gastroenterology
Source →Radiofrequency Ablation in the Treatment of Chronic Radiation Enteritis.
Chen M, et al
Chronic radiation proctopathy (CRP), a complication of radiotherapy for pelvic and abdominal cancers, frequently causes rectal bleeding that can be difficult to manage and significantly impacts patient quality of life. Researchers at a single center retrospectively analyzed 18 patients with hemorrhagic CRP who were treated with endoscopic radiofrequency ablation (RFA), following them for a median of 20 months. Treatment success was achieved in 83.3% of patients, with hemoglobin levels showing a statistically significant increase at six months post-treatment and the mean endoscopic severity score improving dramatically from 3.44 to 1.06. No serious complications such as perforation were observed; mild to moderate anal pain was the most frequently reported side effect. These findings indicate that endoscopic RFA is a safe and effective approach for controlling bleeding in patients with chronic radiation proctopathy, providing clinicians with a valuable minimally invasive option for this challenging late radiation complication.
Journal of gastrointestinal cancer
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