DeCure's autonomous Rare AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for benign fibrous histiocytoma — screening already-approved drugs against its 2-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleBenign fibrous histiocytoma maps to a 2-gene Open Targets module — the target space DeCure's AI scientist screens approved drugs against.
DeCure.ai methodSignature reversal (LINCS) plus network proximity (STRING) rank already-approved drugs likely to perturb this module — the same engine that produces DeCure.ai's repurposing hypotheses.
Repurposing thesisScreening approved medicines against this disease module, then publishing the evidence for the strongest candidate. Known pharmacology and human exposure data make the first question sharper — they do not establish safety or efficacy in a new indication.
Research record
01
ResearchComing soon
Candidate research + dossier — target rationale, drug-repurposing thesis and evidence pack.proof: Published dossier + on-chain hash
02
ValidationComing soon
In-vitro biological validation at a contract research org (CRO).proof: CRO contract + in-vitro report
03
Peer review & paperComing soon
Peer-reviewed paper published open-access (preprint + journal).proof: DOI + open-access link + on-chain hash
Current lead
No approved-drug candidate for benign fibrous histiocytoma is corroborated in the literature DeepSearch retrieved. Some conditions are managed with non-pharmacological care — a device, surgery or physical therapy — rather than a medicine; that may be the case here, or the literature we found may simply be too sparse yet to support a drug-repurposing angle.
Molecular view
Fli-1 proto-oncogene, ETS transcription factor (FLI1) — FLI1 is one of the genes genetically linked to this disease in Open Targets — shown as context, not as a drug target we're pursuing: no approved-drug candidate for this disease is yet corroborated in the literature we found.
Loading structure…
helix sheet apo structuredrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 9MX9 · 2.55 Å · ligand none (apo structure). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
Benign fibrous histiocytoma is a soft tissue tumour of unknown aetiology that accounts for 15% of all soft tissue tumours. Its incidence in the head and neck region is low, on the order of a few percent, and reports of occurrence in the oral cavity are scarce. The tumour predominantly occurs in people over 25 years old, and onset in infants is quite rare. One case report describes a benign fibrous histiocytoma arising from the tongue in a two-month-old infant.
The literature on malignant fibrous histiocytoma, a separate entity, is more extensive and shows a poor prognosis. A review of malignant fibrous histiocytoma in the central nervous system, based on fewer than 70 documented cases, reported a median survival time of 27 months. In a series of 26 patients with malignant fibrous histiocytoma of the extremity, the overall five-year survival rate was 61.5%; this was 100% in low-grade tumours but only 28.2% in high-grade tumours. Tumour grade was the only significant parameter affecting survival in both univariate and multivariate analyses. In a case of malignant fibrous histiocytoma of the clivus in a 2.5-year-old boy treated with operation, radiation, and chemotherapy, the tumour recurred locally after 21 months, and palliation permitted an additional 20-month survival.
Treatment approaches for malignant fibrous histiocytoma rely on a combination of maximum decompression surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy, but total removal is often unrealistic. One 1982 report on four patients with the inflammatory variant of malignant fibrous histiocytoma treated with alkylating agents with or without anthracyclines described prolonged and sustained remissions. However, a 2004 review stated that with currently available therapy, the prognosis is very poor. In the extremity series, local recurrence was detected in eight of 26 patients, and distant metastasis developed in eight patients within a mean of 13 months postoperatively.
What is still missing are prospective trials that stratify patients by tumour grade and subtype, given that grade is the only significant prognostic factor identified. The rarity of these tumours, particularly benign fibrous histiocytoma in unusual locations, makes large-scale studies difficult without multi-centre collaboration and dedicated funding. No standardised chemotherapy regimen has been established for malignant fibrous histiocytoma, and the role of adjuvant therapy remains unclear from the available case series.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
Annals of Internal Medicine · 1982 · 20 citations
Inflammatory Fibrous Histiocytoma: An Important Variant of Malignant Fibrous Histiocytoma Highly Responsive to Chemotherapy
AbstractInflammatory fibrous histiocytoma is a recently recognized variant of malignant fibrous histiocytoma. Patients managed with surgical excision or radiation therapy usually have had multiple recurrences, often with metastases. The disease is insidious but ultimately fatal. Four consecutive patients were treated with inflammatory fibrous histiocytoma with alkylating agents with or without anthracyclines and produced prolonged and sustained remissions. Inflammatory fibrous histiocytoma may be another highly chemotherapeutically responsive tumor that deserves active case identification for aggressive curative therapy.
Cerebellar Malignant Fibrous Histiocytoma: Case Report and Literature Review
AbstractOBJECTIVE AND IMPORTANCE: Malignant fibrous histiocytoma in the central nervous system is uncommon. Fewer than 70 cases have been documented and, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first case arising from the cerebellum. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: A 44-year-old woman presented with headaches, vomiting, and dizziness. A neurological examination revealed right cerebellar syndrome. Brain computed tomographic scans revealed an isodense tumor in the right cerebellar hemisphere. The breast ultrasonographic, bone scintigraphic, and thoracoabdominal computed tomographic findings were normal. INTERVENTION: The patient was surgically treated. The tumor recurred 1.5 months later, demonstrating hemorrhagic characteristics on brain computed tomographic scans. The patient underwent a second operation, followed by radiotherapy. CONCLUSION: Malignant fibrous histiocytoma is still a controversial entity, and the lack of specific criteria means that it must be diagnosed via the process of elimination. With currently available therapy, our review can provide only a very poor prognosis. The median survival time was 27 months. In attempts to develop better therapeutic strategies, total excision and radiotherapy seem to represent the best treatment approach.
Malignant Fibrous Histiocytoma of the Clivus: Case Report
AbstractA case of malignant fibrous histiocytoma of the clivus in a 2 1/2-year-old boy is reported. There are no prior reports of this tumor in this location. The child was treated with operation, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. The tumor recurred locally 21 months later. The recurrence was palliated by operation and chemotherapy, permitting an additional 20-month survival.
American Journal of Case Reports · 2014 · 10 citations
Storiform-Pleomorphic Type of Multifocal Malignant Fibrous Histiocytoma of the Lumbar Spine
AbstractBACKGROUND: We present the extremely rare case of a 67-year-old male with malignant fibrous histiocytoma, arising in the lumbar spine, demonstrated with radiological and pathological studies. CASE REPORT: The patient and his relatives refused open surgical approach and we performed transpedicular vertebral corpus biopsy and vertebroplasty under spinal anesthesia. His pathological result was malignant fibrous histiocytoma. The spine is a very uncommon site for malignant fibrous histiocytoma. CONCLUSIONS: The management of malignant fibrous histiocytoma relies on the combination of maximum decompression surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Total removal is unrealistic and diagnosis is difficult. The prognosis in terms of continuing neurological deficit after surgery appears to be poor.
[Prognostic factors in patients with malignant fibrous histiocytoma of the extremities].
AbstractOBJECTIVES: We evaluated prognostic factors in patients with malignant fibrous histiocytoma of the extremity. METHODS: The study included 26 patients (22 males, 4 females; 15 patients < age 60) with a diagnosis of malignant fibrous histiocytoma of the extremity. Clinical and pathological data were analyzed including age, gender, affected extremity, presentation status (primary or recurrent), localization (proximal or distal), size, depth, and grade of the tumor, resection quality, adjuvant therapy, and the presence of distant metastasis at the time of diagnosis. RESULTS: The mean follow-up of 16 patients who were alive was 44.8 months (range 24 to 120 months). The mean symptom duration before diagnosis was seven months (range 1 to 26 months). All the patients underwent surgical resection. A margin-negative R0 resection was obtained in 17 patients. Amputation was performed in seven patients. Adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy were administered to 17 patients and 10 patients, respectively. Local recurrence was detected in eight patients. Two patients had distant metastasis at the time of diagnosis while eight patients developed distant metastasis within a mean of 13 months (range 7 to 20 months) postoperatively. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed an overall five-year survival rate of 61.5%, being 100% in low-grade tumors, and 28.2% in high-grade tumors. Tumor grade was the only significant parameter affecting survival in both univariate (p=0.004) and multivariate (p=0.023) analyses. CONCLUSION: Patients with high-grade malignant fibrous histiocytoma have a poorer prognosis.
A Discrepancy Between Bone Scan and MRI Concerning the Involvement of Adjacent Bone in Soft Tissue Sarcoma
AbstractThe case of a patient with malignant fibrous histiocytoma is described. Emphasis is placed on the preoperative implementation of bone scintigraphy and MRI, which yielded discrepant findings. The ultimate therapeutic approach is discussed in light of the discrepancy and the conclusive pathologic result.
A Case of Benign Fibrous Histiocytoma Arising from the Tongue in a Two-Month-Old Infant
AbstractBenign fibrous histiocytoma is a soft tissue tumor of unknown etiology that arises from the subcutaneous tissue, which accounts for 15% of all soft tissue tumors. The incidence of benign fibrous histiocytoma in the head and neck region is rather low, being on the order of a few percent, and there are scarce reports of its occurrence in the oral cavity. In addition, the tumor predominantly occurs in those over 25 years old, and onset in infants is quite rare.
Disease module: DeepOracle (Open Targets). Structures: RDKit from PubChem SMILES. Literature: retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works (targeted per-candidate search), resolved on OpenAlex.
DeCure is a research and publication project, not medical advice and not a treatment. "DeCure for X" describes a research goal, not a claim that a cure exists. Backing a cure is a contribution to fund the research — it is not an investment, and confers no yield, royalty, equity or IP ownership. Papers are published open-access by the DeCure.ai DAO.
