Latest Research
All publications from the Cancer3.AI database, newest first.
Targeting ST3GAL1 to downregulate ligands for the glycoimmune checkpoint Siglec-7 and reverse immune escape in hepatocellular carcinoma.
Fan T, et al
Researchers investigated how resistance to sorafenib, the standard first-line treatment for advanced liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma, HCC), helps tumor cells evade destruction by the immune system's natural killer (NK) cells. The study found that sorafenib-resistant HCC cells develop hypersialylation — an abnormal accumulation of sugar molecules on their surface — which increases the display of ligands for immune checkpoint receptors called Siglec-7 and Siglec-9 found on NK cells, effectively shielding the cancer from immune attack. When the enzyme ST3GAL1, responsible for adding these sugar molecules, was silenced in laboratory experiments, liver cancer cells became significantly more vulnerable to NK cell killing and to antibody-dependent immune destruction triggered by the drug cetuximab in EGFR-expressing tumors. Additionally, high ST3GAL1 expression in patients with early-stage HCC was associated with poorer clinical outcomes, underscoring the enzyme's relevance as a prognostic marker. These findings reveal ST3GAL1 as a critical driver of immune escape in liver cancer and suggest that targeting this enzyme could be a promising strategy to restore anti-tumor immunity, potentially improving outcomes for patients who develop resistance to sorafenib.
Cancer immunology, immunotherapy : CII
Source →Lenvatinib plus hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy of oxaliplatin, fluorouracil, and leucovorin versus lenvatinib alone for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma: a multicenter retrospective cohort study.
Shi F, et al
A multicenter retrospective study published in the Journal of Gastroenterology investigated whether combining lenvatinib with hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy using oxaliplatin, fluorouracil, and leucovorin (FOLFOX-HAIC) offers better outcomes than lenvatinib alone for patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common form of liver cancer. Researchers analyzed data from 311 patients treated at six Chinese academic centers between 2019 and 2022, using propensity score matching to create balanced comparison groups of 113 patients each. The combination therapy group showed dramatically improved survival outcomes, with median progression-free survival doubling from 6.2 to 12.3 months and median overall survival doubling from 12.3 to 25.6 months compared to lenvatinib alone. Multivariate analysis confirmed the combination regimen as an independent predictor of better survival, with a 55% reduction in progression risk and a 62% reduction in death risk. While the combination therapy was associated with more frequent severe side effects such as nausea, vomiting, and low blood cell counts, these were considered manageable. These findings suggest that adding FOLFOX-HAIC to lenvatinib may represent a meaningful advancement in first-line treatment for advanced liver cancer, though prospective randomized trials are needed to confirm these results.
Journal of gastroenterology
Source →Metastatic carcinomatous cirrhosis from diffuse breast cancer liver metastasis: a case report.
Komori T, et al
Researchers from Japan report a rare case of metastatic carcinomatous cirrhosis — a dangerous condition in which cancer cells infiltrate the liver so extensively that the organ takes on the appearance of cirrhosis — caused by breast cancer that had spread silently to the liver nearly a decade after initial surgery. A woman in her 50s, who had been treated for breast cancer nine years earlier and experienced a local recurrence five years prior, presented with fatigue and abdominal swelling; advanced CT and MRI imaging revealed a cirrhosis-like liver structure along with massive fluid accumulation in the abdomen. The imaging findings resembled pseudocirrhosis, a condition typically seen after chemotherapy, but because the patient had no history of liver metastases and had not received chemotherapy, the team suspected a distinct and rarer entity. A transjugular liver biopsy confirmed the diagnosis, showing widespread tumor infiltration of the liver's portal areas accompanied by fibrosis that disrupted normal liver tissue. This case highlights the importance of including metastatic carcinomatous cirrhosis in the differential diagnosis when cancer patients develop rapid liver dysfunction with cirrhosis-like imaging, even without a prior history of liver involvement or chemotherapy.
Abdominal radiology (New York)
Source →Intraindividual comparison of 3-T and 5-T gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI for evaluating HCC: initial findings.
Li S, et al
Researchers conducted a prospective study comparing 5-Tesla (5-T) and 3-Tesla (3-T) MRI scanners using a liver-specific contrast agent (gadoxetic acid) in 41 patients suspected of having hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common form of primary liver cancer. The study found that 5-T MRI produced superior image quality across contrast-enhanced phases, with higher scores in both subjective radiologist assessments and objective measurements compared to 3-T MRI. Notably, 5-T imaging detected the enhancing capsule — a key diagnostic feature of HCC — at a significantly higher rate, and also showed improved clarity of lesion margins on diffusion-weighted imaging. When artificial intelligence-assisted compressed sensing (ACS) was applied to the hepatobiliary phase at 5-T, image quality improved further and additional tumor characteristics such as peritumoral hypointensity were more readily identified. These findings suggest that 5-T MRI with AI-assisted technology may enhance the accuracy of HCC diagnosis, potentially helping clinicians detect and characterize liver tumors more reliably and benefiting patients through earlier and more precise diagnoses.
Abdominal radiology (New York)
Source →Barriers to Surgical Colorectal Cancer Care in the Rural United States: A Scoping Review.
Murthy JJ, et al
A new scoping review published in Diseases of the Colon and Rectum examines the barriers that rural Americans face when trying to access surgical care for colorectal cancer, one of the leading causes of cancer-related death in the United States. Researchers systematically searched four major medical databases and ultimately analyzed 20 studies out of 5,218 identified citations to map the landscape of surgical access disparities. The review identified four key domains driving these inequities: geographic barriers such as long travel distances, healthcare workforce shortages, patients' socioeconomic disadvantages, and regional demographic factors. Rural patients are significantly less likely than their urban counterparts to receive timely, high-quality colorectal cancer surgery, which directly affects survival outcomes. The authors call on policymakers to invest in rural healthcare infrastructure and address critical workforce gaps in order to reduce these life-threatening disparities for underserved communities.
Diseases of the colon and rectum
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