Latest Research
All publications from the Cancer3.AI database, newest first.
Pembrolizumab plus weekly paclitaxel in platinum-resistant recurrent ovarian cancer (ENGOT-ov65/KEYNOTE-B96): a multicentre, randomised, double-blind, phase 3 study.
Colombo N, et al
A large international phase 3 clinical trial (ENGOT-ov65/KEYNOTE-B96) investigated whether adding the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab to standard weekly paclitaxel chemotherapy could improve outcomes for patients with platinum-resistant recurrent ovarian cancer, a difficult-to-treat condition with limited effective options. The study enrolled 643 women across 187 cancer centers in 25 countries, randomly assigning them to receive either pembrolizumab or placebo alongside paclitaxel, with the option to also receive bevacizumab at the investigator's discretion. Results showed that pembrolizumab significantly improved progression-free survival compared to placebo in both the overall patient population (median 8.3 vs. 6.4 months; hazard ratio 0.70) and in patients whose tumors expressed PD-L1 (median 8.3 vs. 7.2 months; hazard ratio 0.72). Overall survival was also significantly improved in PD-L1-positive patients at the second interim analysis, confirming a meaningful clinical benefit. These findings establish pembrolizumab combined with weekly paclitaxel as an effective new treatment strategy for women with platinum-resistant recurrent ovarian cancer, a population that historically has had very few therapeutic options and a poor prognosis.
Lancet (London, England)
Source →Development and validation of a customised PRO-CTCAE scale for adult-type diffuse gliomas (VERONICA): a multicentre, prospective, observational cohort study in China.
Song S, et al
Researchers in China developed and validated a customised Patient-Reported Outcomes version of the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (PRO-CTCAE) scale specifically designed to capture treatment-related symptoms in patients with adult-type diffuse gliomas, a group of aggressive brain tumours for which no validated patient-reported outcome measure had previously existed. Using a two-round Delphi consensus process involving experts from the National Glioma Multidisciplinary Team Alliance, the team identified 53 items covering 31 distinct symptoms that were incorporated into the final scale, alongside one open-ended free-text item. The scale was then prospectively validated in the VERONICA study, which enrolled 450 patients across 13 glioma treatment centres in China between September 2022 and March 2025, with a mean patient age of 49.1 years and a mean Karnofsky Performance Status of 72.2. Psychometric analyses conducted in 424 eligible participants demonstrated strong test-retest reliability, convergent validity, known-groups validity, and responsiveness to clinical change across repeated study visits. This rigorously validated tool fills a critical gap in glioma care by enabling patients to directly report their symptom burden, providing clinicians with standardised, patient-centred data to guide treatment decisions and improve quality-of-life outcomes.
EClinicalMedicine
Source →Effects of gut barrier dysfunction during a viral respiratory disease challenge on immune function of feedlot beef calves.
Foster RC, et al
This study investigated whether gut barrier dysfunction (GBD) predisposes feedlot cattle to impaired immune responses during bovine respiratory disease (BRD), one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in the cattle industry. Researchers induced increased intestinal permeability in Angus × Holstein heifers using high-dose aspirin, confirmed by elevated plasma chromium-EDTA recovery and lipopolysaccharide-binding protein levels, and then challenged all animals with bovine herpesvirus-1. Heifers with compromised gut barriers showed a blunted febrile response and lower haptoglobin concentrations—a key acute-phase immune protein—compared to control animals, along with a tendency toward reduced white blood cell and lymphocyte counts. These findings suggest that increased gut permeability dampens the systemic immune response to respiratory viral infection, potentially leaving affected animals less equipped to combat BRD pathogens. The results underscore the importance of monitoring and maintaining gut health in feedlot management, as interventions targeting intestinal barrier integrity may help reduce the prevalence and severity of respiratory disease in commercial cattle operations.
Journal of animal science
Source →Small-Intestinal Metastasis from Breast Cancer Presenting with Gastrointestinal Bleeding: A Case Report.
Hamaoka R, et al
This case report describes a diagnostically challenging presentation of small-intestinal metastasis in a 50-year-old woman with recurrent triple-negative breast cancer who developed persistent grade 3 anemia while receiving sacituzumab govitecan therapy. Standard upper and lower gastrointestinal endoscopy failed to identify the source of bleeding, prompting the clinical team to pursue specialized small-bowel evaluation. Capsule endoscopy followed by balloon-assisted enteroscopy successfully identified a bleeding protruding lesion in the jejunum, and biopsy confirmed metastatic breast cancer. Because endoscopic hemostasis could not be achieved, laparoscopic partial small-bowel resection was performed, with histopathology revealing multiple transmural lesions consistent with nodal metastases. After surgery, the patient's anemia resolved without further transfusion and chemotherapy was successfully resumed. This case underscores the importance of considering gastrointestinal metastasis in breast cancer patients with unexplained anemia and highlights capsule endoscopy and balloon-assisted enteroscopy as essential diagnostic tools when standard endoscopy is inconclusive.
Surgical case reports
Source →Occupational exposure to asbestos-free talc and risk of respiratory cancers, including larynx, lung and mesothelioma: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Seyyedsalehi MS, et al
A systematic review and meta-analysis published in the Journal of Thoracic Oncology investigated whether occupational exposure to asbestos-free talc raises the risk of lung cancer, mesothelioma, and laryngeal cancer among miners, millers, and other industrial workers. Researchers systematically searched medical literature up to January 2026, identifying 13 studies on lung cancer, 8 on mesothelioma, and 7 on laryngeal cancer, and applied random-effects meta-analytic models to pool risk estimates. The pooled relative risk for lung cancer was 1.13 among talc miners and millers and 1.12 among other exposed workers, with both confidence intervals crossing 1.0, indicating no statistically significant elevation in risk. No mesothelioma cases were recorded in talc mining and milling cohorts, and no link between talc exposure and laryngeal cancer was detected, with a relative risk of 0.98. These findings offer reassurance that asbestos-free talc does not meaningfully increase the risk of these serious respiratory malignancies in occupationally exposed workers. The authors emphasize that future studies must rigorously control for confounders, particularly tobacco smoking, to strengthen the evidence base.
Journal of thoracic oncology : official publication of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer
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