Latest Research
All publications from the Cancer3.AI database, newest first.
Subsequent primary neoplasm risk among survivors of cancer in adolescence and young adulthood: a population-based study from Alberta, Canada.
Ul Alam A, et al
A large population-based study from Alberta, Canada, examined the long-term risk of developing a second primary cancer among 24,459 adolescent and young adult cancer survivors diagnosed between ages 15 and 39 from 1983 to 2017. Researchers found that 1,442 survivors developed a subsequent primary neoplasm over up to 30 years of follow-up, with the overall risk more than double that of the general population (standardized incidence ratio of 2.2). This elevated risk persisted and slightly increased among five-year survivors, who faced a 30-year cumulative risk of a new cancer of 17.7%. The highest long-term risks were observed in survivors of oral cavity, lip, or pharynx cancers (28.9%), breast cancer (27.3%), colon cancer (23.5%), and Hodgkin lymphoma (22.7%), with most subsequent cancers being breast, digestive, hematopoietic, or respiratory in type. These findings highlight that young cancer survivors require lifelong, risk-adapted surveillance strategies, and that early screening programs should be considered especially for those whose primary cancer type confers the greatest risk of a second malignancy.
CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne
Source →Genetic Markers of Tumor Multiplicity in Non-melanoma Skin Cancer: Associations of 19 SNPs in an Italian Cohort.
Campana I, et al
A new study from an Italian cohort examined whether specific genetic variants known as single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) can predict an individual's risk of developing multiple non-melanoma skin cancers (NMSCs), the most common form of skin cancer worldwide. Researchers analyzed SNPs across genes involved in DNA repair, inflammation, pigmentation, and vitamin D and NAD metabolism, stratifying participants into low- and high-risk groups based on their tumor burden. While chronic sun exposure was confirmed as an environmental risk factor, 19 SNPs showed statistically significant associations with NMSC multiplicity, with variants in the NNMT, NFKBIA, ERCC6, XPA, LIG1, LIG3, and ZNF365 genes being more prevalent in high-risk individuals. Notably, NFKBIA variants may fuel chronic inflammation that promotes tumor development, while an ERCC6 variant can impair the cell's capacity to repair UV-induced DNA damage. These findings highlight that regulatory genetic variation plays an important role in skin cancer susceptibility beyond sun exposure alone. The identified SNPs could serve as clinically useful biomarkers for genetic risk stratification, paving the way for personalized prevention and surveillance strategies tailored to a patient's genetic profile.
Dermatology and therapy
Source →Safety and efficacy of everolimus as a rescue therapy in autoimmune hepatitis.
Seltsam F, et al
Researchers conducted a retrospective study to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of everolimus, an mTOR inhibitor, as a rescue therapy for patients with autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) who either failed standard immunosuppressive treatments or developed non-melanoma skin cancer while in remission on conventional therapy. The study enrolled 21 patients across two cohorts at a single center between 2020 and 2025, representing the largest reported experience with this drug in AIH to date. Among the 14 patients treated for refractory disease who tolerated the drug, significant improvements in liver enzyme levels (AST and ALT) were observed as early as four weeks and were sustained at 12 months, with AST normalized in 44% and ALT in 67% of patients, alongside a meaningful reduction in steroid dosage. In the seven patients treated due to skin cancer, tolerability was poor — over half discontinued because of adverse effects — but all three who remained on everolimus maintained hepatic remission. These findings suggest that everolimus is a viable therapeutic option in difficult-to-treat AIH, especially in patients with concurrent malignancy, though close monitoring for side effects remains essential for safe use in clinical practice.
Clinics and research in hepatology and gastroenterology
Source →Fortified Chestnut Honey Triggers Apoptosis in Colon Cancer Cells.
Iriondo-DeHond A, et al
Researchers investigated whether chestnut and thyme honey fortified with bee products — propolis and royal jelly — could selectively kill colon cancer cells while leaving healthy cells unharmed. Using laboratory-based cytotoxicity assays, cell cycle analysis, and apoptosis markers including DR5, BAX, and caspases 8, 9, and 3, the team tested these honey formulations on human colon cancer cells (Caco-2) and normal colon cells (CCD-18). The standout finding was that chestnut honey enriched with 10% propolis and 10% royal jelly triggered programmed cell death specifically in cancer cells without harming normal cells, acting through both the intrinsic and extrinsic apoptotic pathways. Notably, fortification did not enhance the anticancer activity of thyme honey in this colon model, contrasting with previously reported effects in liver cancer cells and highlighting that honey's anticancer potential is highly cell-type dependent. The selective cancer-killing action is attributed to the combined presence of phenolic acids and flavones in the fortified chestnut honey formulation. These findings suggest that chestnut honey enriched with propolis and royal jelly could be a promising basis for developing natural functional foods as complementary strategies in colon cancer management.
Plant foods for human nutrition (Dordrecht, Netherlands)
Source →Survival trends in young adults with acute leukaemia after AHSCT in Germany: comparisons with younger and older patients.
Frietsch JJ, et al
A large German registry-based study analyzed survival outcomes of more than 11,000 patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) or acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) who underwent a first allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT) between 2011 and 2019, with a particular focus on young adults aged 18 to 39 years compared to adolescents and middle-aged patients. Five-year overall survival reached 57% for AML and 53% for ALL in young adults, while relapse remained the dominant cause of treatment failure, occurring in 40% of AML and 31% of ALL patients. Children and adolescents achieved the best survival outcomes overall, whereas both relapse rates and non-relapse mortality increased progressively with age, and male patients faced significantly higher mortality than female patients across all age groups. Encouragingly, treatment outcomes improved over the observation period for all age groups, with young adults showing a notable decline in non-relapse mortality over time. These findings underscore the importance of developing age-tailored donor selection and conditioning strategies to narrow the survival gap between pediatric and adult leukemia patients undergoing stem cell transplantation.
Transplantation and cellular therapy
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