Latest Research
All publications from the Cancer3.AI database, newest first.
Efficacy and Safety Profile of a Rituximab, Methotrexate, and Thiotepa-Based Regimen in Newly Diagnosed Primary CNS Lymphoma.
Wang H, et al
Researchers retrospectively evaluated the efficacy and safety of the RMT regimen — combining rituximab, methotrexate, and thiotepa — as a first-line induction therapy in 36 patients newly diagnosed with primary central nervous system diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (PCNS-DLBCL). After four induction cycles, the overall response rate reached an impressive 97.2%, with 80.6% of patients achieving a complete response, demonstrating the regimen's strong anti-tumor activity in this difficult-to-treat brain cancer. Over a median follow-up of nearly 20 months, the two-year progression-free survival was 64.4% and overall survival was 79.3%, with patients who proceeded to autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) achieving a remarkable 100% two-year progression-free survival. For patients unable to undergo ASCT, maintenance therapy with BTK inhibitors or immunomodulatory drugs provided a meaningful alternative, yielding a 67.9% two-year progression-free survival rate. The most serious side effect was neutropenia, occurring in one-third of patients, but all cases were manageable and none required treatment discontinuation. These findings establish the RMT regimen as an effective and well-tolerated frontline option for PCNS-DLBCL, including in elderly patients, and support sequential ASCT as the preferred consolidation strategy when feasible.
International journal of cancer
Source →Immunotherapy in acute myeloid leukemia: The antibodies, TriKEs, and CARs on the arduous road to cure.
Adhikari B, et al
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is an aggressive and genetically diverse blood cancer for which allogeneic stem cell transplantation remains the only well-established curative option, leaving most patients with very limited treatment alternatives. This comprehensive review, authored from the perspective of clinical hematologists, systematically examines the full spectrum of immunotherapeutic approaches currently under preclinical and clinical investigation in AML, including monoclonal antibodies, antibody-drug conjugates, bispecific T-cell engagers, trispecific killer engagers (TriKEs), chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapies, cancer vaccines, and natural killer cell infusions. A central finding of the review is that AML presents unique obstacles to effective immunotherapy, notably its high relapse rates, resistance to conventional chemotherapy, and an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment that enables leukemic cells to evade immune destruction. Although results from early-phase studies across these modalities are encouraging, the data remain inconsistent and no single immunotherapeutic strategy has yet demonstrated clear superiority or replaced standard care. The authors provide clinically oriented guidance on how hematologists might best integrate these emerging therapies into treatment practice, offering a practical framework for navigating an increasingly complex therapeutic landscape.
Blood reviews
Source →Sustained Complete Remission after Radiofrequency Ablation for Liver Oligometastasis from Pancreatic Cancer despite Persistent Carbohydrate Antigen 19-9 Elevation: A Case Report.
Takahashi Y, et al
This case report investigates whether radiofrequency ablation (RFA) can achieve long-term disease control in a patient with oligometastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) even when the tumor marker CA19-9 remains persistently elevated during chemotherapy. A 69-year-old man who had previously undergone surgery for pancreatic head cancer developed a solitary liver metastasis 31 months postoperatively; despite subsequent chemotherapy with gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel, CA19-9 levels continued to rise even though imaging showed no spread beyond the liver. Because the persistent CA19-9 elevation raised concern about possible occult systemic disease, surgical resection was considered potentially excessive, and RFA was selected as a less invasive local therapy. Following an uncomplicated RFA procedure, CA19-9 levels normalized rapidly, and the patient has remained disease-free for more than three years without further chemotherapy. This case challenges the prevailing assumption that persistently elevated CA19-9 during chemotherapy necessarily indicates systemic disease and precludes aggressive local treatment. Clinicians are advised to consider the full clinical picture — including metastatic distribution and tumor biology — rather than basing treatment decisions solely on CA19-9 levels when managing selected patients with oligometastatic pancreatic cancer.
Surgical case reports
Source →Remnant Gastric Necrosis after Laparoscopic Distal Gastrectomy Managed with Double-Elemental Diet Tube and Laparoscopic Gastrojejunostomy: A Case Report.
Sameshima K, et al
This case report describes a rare and potentially fatal complication — remnant gastric necrosis — that occurred after laparoscopic distal gastrectomy for stomach cancer in a 78-year-old man with multiple serious comorbidities including severe vascular disease, chronic kidney dysfunction, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Following removal of the cancerous portion of the stomach with Billroth I reconstruction, the patient developed circumferential mucosal necrosis in the remaining stomach, most likely due to severely compromised blood supply related to advanced arteriosclerosis. Rather than performing an emergency reoperation, the surgical team pursued a conservative strategy using a specialized double-elemental diet tube (W-ED) for intragastric decompression and enteral nutrition, allowing a concurrent anastomotic leak to heal on its own. When a severe stricture subsequently developed at the surgical junction, an elective laparoscopic gastrojejunostomy using Billroth II with Braun anastomosis was performed as a planned, lower-risk intervention. Four years after the original surgery, the patient remains cancer-free with stable oral food intake, suggesting that staged conservative management followed by elective bypass surgery may be a viable and life-saving strategy for high-risk patients who develop this dangerous complication without signs of peritonitis or systemic instability.
Surgical case reports
Source →Acute Bleeding From Jejunal Malignant Melanoma With an Unusual Similar Lesion in the Right Parotid Gland.
Svetlana S, et al
Researchers present a rare case of malignant melanoma located in the jejunum, a section of the small intestine, which caused massive gastrointestinal bleeding requiring emergency surgery. In addition to the intestinal tumor, clinicians identified a second mass in the patient's right parotid gland that displayed identical histological features, complicating the determination of whether the disease was primary or metastatic. While melanoma metastases to the small intestine occur more frequently than truly primary intestinal melanoma, both presentations are uncommon and can manifest as life-threatening hemorrhage, bowel obstruction, or acute peritonitis. This case highlights the critical importance of rapid surgical intervention when small bowel melanoma presents as an emergency, both to control bleeding and to maximize survival chances. Clinicians are reminded that melanoma can simultaneously affect anatomically distant sites, making comprehensive staging and workup essential in all such presentations.
Case reports in surgery
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