Latest Research
All publications from the Cancer3.AI database, newest first.
Extrapolation of Time-to-Event Survival Outcomes of Histology-Independent Therapies Using a Bayesian Hierarchical Model.
Mikelson J, et al
Researchers investigated whether Bayesian hierarchical models (BHMs) could improve the statistical extrapolation of long-term survival outcomes for histology-independent therapies (HITs) — cancer treatments that work across multiple tumor types regardless of where the cancer originates. Using data from pembrolizumab-treated patients with microsatellite instability-high or deficient mismatch repair solid tumors, the team compared BHMs against conventional non-hierarchical survival models across five cancer types, including colorectal, endometrial, gastric, small intestine, and biliary cancers. The study found that BHMs produced similar overall survival estimates to standard models for larger datasets, but yielded notably higher survival estimates for rarer cancers such as small intestine and biliary cancers, where small sample sizes previously limited statistical confidence. Crucially, BHMs consistently reduced uncertainty around key survival parameters across all tumor sites by allowing statistical information to be shared between cancer types. This reduced uncertainty is especially important for health technology assessments and cost-effectiveness analyses that determine whether new cancer therapies receive regulatory and reimbursement approval. The findings support BHMs as a robust and principled framework for evaluating histology-independent cancer treatments in real-world health policy decision-making.
Medical decision making : an international journal of the Society for Medical Decision Making
Source →Primary Inflammatory Myofibroblastic Tumour of the Breast: A Potential Diagnostic Pitfall on Aspiration Cytology.
Sood N, et al
Researchers report a rare case of primary inflammatory myofibroblastic tumour (IMT) arising in the breast of a 47-year-old woman, contributing to a global literature of fewer than 50 documented breast IMT cases. The tumour presented as a painless, well-defined lump classified as BIRADS 4A on imaging, and initial fine needle aspiration cytology suggested a benign chronic inflammatory lesion rather than a neoplasm. Only after surgical removal and detailed histopathological examination, supported by immunohistochemistry including ALK staining, was the correct diagnosis of IMT established, distinguishing it from similar-appearing conditions such as myofibroblastoma, fibromatosis, and IgG4-related sclerosing disease. The patient was treated with lumpectomy and remained free of recurrence throughout 24 months of follow-up. This case highlights a significant diagnostic pitfall: breast IMT can easily be misidentified on cytology alone, underscoring the critical need for ancillary testing and comprehensive pathological evaluation to guide appropriate patient management.
Cytopathology : official journal of the British Society for Clinical Cytology
Source →When lymphadenopathy is not what it seems - coexistence of mantle cell lymphoma and pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor.
Wasyluk W, et al
A case report published in Endokrynologia Polska describes the rare and diagnostically challenging coexistence of mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) and a pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor (pNET) in a single patient presenting with lymphadenopathy. The study highlights how enlarged lymph nodes, a common clinical finding, can mislead clinicians into attributing all pathology to a single diagnosis, potentially causing the second malignancy to be overlooked. In this case, thorough diagnostic workup revealed that the lymphadenopathy was not exclusively caused by the lymphoma, but was also associated with a concurrent pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor, representing a synchronous double malignancy. The authors emphasize the importance of comprehensive imaging and multidisciplinary evaluation in patients with lymphadenopathy, particularly when clinical or biochemical features do not fully align with a single diagnosis. This case serves as a valuable reminder for oncologists, hematologists, and endocrinologists that rare tumor combinations can occur, and that a second primary malignancy should always be considered when findings are atypical.
Endokrynologia Polska
Source →Quantitative CT Perfusion as a prognostic biomarker for chemotherapy response in patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.
Perik T, et al
Researchers investigated whether CT perfusion (CTP) imaging could serve as a better prognostic tool than standard methods for assessing chemotherapy response in patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), a cancer notoriously difficult to evaluate with conventional imaging. In a prospective study of 25 patients, quantitative CTP scans were performed before and after three months of chemotherapy, with AI-assisted software automatically analyzing blood flow changes within tumors. The study found that patients whose tumors showed increased peak enhancement on CTP after treatment had significantly longer overall survival compared to those with decreased enhancement (p = 0.02), while standard RECIST criteria classified 23 of 25 patients as having stable disease, providing little prognostic differentiation. CTP identified 60% of patients likely to survive beyond 24 months compared to only 25% identified by RECIST, and even within the RECIST stable-disease group, CTP still stratified survival outcomes significantly. When CTP improvement was combined with a CA19-9 tumor marker response, patients achieved the best median survival of 758 days. These findings suggest that quantitative CT perfusion could meaningfully improve treatment decisions for PDAC patients by identifying those who genuinely benefit from chemotherapy, potentially sparing others from ineffective treatment and diminished quality of life.
Abdominal radiology (New York)
Source →Added value of maximum standardized uptake value and diffusion-weighted imaging in staging of high risk breast cancer patients using simultaneous 18F-flurodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography and magnetic resonance imaging.
Subramanyam P, et al
A new study published in Nuclear Medicine Communications evaluated the diagnostic value of combining PET/MR imaging with two quantitative biomarkers — maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) from PET and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) from diffusion-weighted MRI — in 76 high-risk breast cancer patients undergoing pre-treatment staging. Researchers analyzed 965 lesions across patients with triple-negative and non-triple-negative breast cancers scanned between 2021 and 2024. The study found that SUVmax and ADC values were inversely correlated, meaning more metabolically active tumors showed restricted water diffusion, and the SUVmax/ADCmin ratio correlated strongly with Ki-67 (r=0.55), a key marker of tumor aggressiveness. PET imaging offered higher specificity (87.8%) for confirming malignant lesions, while diffusion-weighted MRI was more sensitive for detecting small metastases in the liver, brain, and lungs. The combined PET/MR approach improved overall staging accuracy compared to either modality alone, offering clinicians a powerful tool to characterize tumor biology and guide treatment decisions in high-risk breast cancer patients.
Nuclear medicine communications
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