DeCure's autonomous Rare AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for Cecum Villous Adenoma — screening already-approved drugs against its 46-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleCecum Villous Adenoma maps to a 46-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 cecum villous adenoma 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
protein kinase cAMP-dependent type I regulatory subunit alpha (PRKAR1A) — PRKAR1A 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 pcgdrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 5KJZ · 1.347 Å · ligand CYCLIC GUANOSINE MONOPHOSPHATE (PCG). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
The available literature on villous adenoma of the cecum is sparse and largely confined to case reports and small retrospective series, with no prospective trials and no data on any drug treatment. A 1986 case report describes a 75-year-old woman with a 3×3×3.5 cm sub-pedunculated cecal villous adenoma, resected by ileocecal resection because of tumour size and the perceived high risk of associated cancer; histopathology showed two-thirds villous adenoma and one-third well-differentiated tubular adenocarcinoma. The same report cites a Japanese incidence of cancer complicating villous adenoma of 89.2%, though this figure is not derived from a controlled study. A 1967 case report describes an infiltrative adenocarcinoma arising in a villous adenoma within a reduplicated cecum, stated by the authors to be the only such case ever reported.
A 1999 series of 50 villous tumours from 49 patients (average age 61 years, female predominance 20:29) found that 72% were located in the sigmoid colon and rectum, with only a minority in the right colon. In that series, 34% of villous tumours contained carcinomas in villous adenomas (CIVA), and 73% of villous adenomas contained high-grade dysplasia. The average size of CIVA (79 mm) was significantly larger than that of villous adenomas without carcinoma (51 mm). p53 overexpression was seen in 12% of villous adenomas, 24% of mucosal CIVA components, and 18% of invasive CIVA components; bcl-2 overexpression was seen in 57% of villous adenomas, 33% of mucosal CIVA components, and 7% of invasive CIVA components. The authors concluded that tumour progression in villous tumours may follow a pathway different from sporadic colorectal carcinomas, and that careful clinical management is required.
A 1978 paper on benign villous adenomas of the entire rectum notes that fluid and electrolyte deficits can complicate management and that overtreatment of benign lesions is as harmful as undertreatment of malignant ones, but it provides no quantitative outcome data. A 2021 review of adenomyosis treatments is included in the search results but concerns a different disease and offers no information relevant to cecal villous adenoma. A 2023 study of 434 nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas is likewise unrelated. No abstract in this set reports any medical therapy, chemotherapy, or drug repurposing for cecal villous adenoma; the only interventions described are endoscopic resection or surgery.
What is missing is any systematic evidence base: no randomised controlled trials, no prospective cohort with long-term follow-up, no standardised surveillance protocol, and no molecular stratification beyond p53 and bcl-2 staining in a single 1999 series. The natural history of untreated cecal villous adenoma is essentially unknown, and the reported cancer risk figures are derived from small, older, single-centre experiences. Funding for a prospective registry or trial comparing endoscopic resection with surgical excision, with clear reporting of recurrence and progression rates, would be needed before any treatment recommendation could be made.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
Journal of Clinical Medicine · 2021 · 46 citations · open access
Current and Prospective Treatment of Adenomyosis
Abstract(1) Background: Adenomyosis is a poorly understood entity which makes it difficult to standardize treatment. In this paper we review and compare the currently approved medical and surgical treatments of adenomyosis and present the evidence behind them. (2) Methods: A PubMed search was conducted to identify papers related to the different treatments of adenomyosis. The search was limited to the English language. Articles were divided into medical and surgical treatments. (3) Results: Several treatment options have been studied and were found to be effective in the treatment of adenomyosis. (4) Conclusions: Further randomized controlled trials are needed to compare treatment modalities and establish a uniform treatment algorithm for adenomyosis.
International Journal of Gynecological Pathology · 1986 · 31 citations
Villous Adenoma of the Uterine Cervix Associated with Invasive Adenocarcinoma
AbstractAn unusual neoplasm of the uterine cervix had the features of a villous adenoma with an adjacent adenocarcinoma. Histologic and electron microscopic features of the lesion are described, as well as immunohistochemical staining of the lesion for carcinoembryonic antigen. Electron microscopic evidence of intestinal differentiation in the villous adenoma suggests a rarely recognized potential for intestinal metaplasia in the uterine cervix. The association of villous adenoma with cervical adenocarcinoma underscores the malignant potential and the need for complete excision of this rare cervical lesion.
Carcinoma arising in a duplicated colon.Case report
AbstractA case of an infiltrative adenocarcinoma developing in a villous adenoma in a reduplication of the cecum is presented. Review of the causes of reduplication of the colon as well as the presence of villous adenomas of the right colon are discussed by the authors. The clinical difficulty of the recognition of this entity is emphasized. The authors believe this to be the only case ever reported.
Villous tumor of the colon and rectum with special reference to roles of p53 and bcl‐2 in adenoma–carcinoma sequence
AbstractVillous tumors are rare and their histological diagnosis from biopsy specimens is often difficult. To ascertain its tumor progression, including the genetic events, would be useful for clinical treatment. Clinicopathological features and the expression of p53 and bcl-2 proteins were investigated in 50 villous tumors from 49 patients. The patients' ages ranged widely from 32 to 84 years (average, 61 years). Females were more frequently affected than males (male:female ratio, 20:29). Thirty-six (72%) of the villous tumors were present within the sigmoid colon and rectum. Histologically, 17 (34%) of these contained carcinomas in villous adenomas (CIVA), while 24 (73%) of 33 villous adenomas (VA) contained high-grade dysplasia. Most of the CIVA revealed well-differentiated adenocarcinoma, often with focal or diffuse mucin pools. Three lesions of invasive carcinomas were composed of extremely well-differentiated components. The average size of the CIVA (79 mm) was significantly larger than that of the VA (51 mm). Overexpression of p53 protein was recognized in 12% of VA, in 24% of mucosal components of CIVA and in 18% of invasive components of CIVA. Overexpression of bcl-2 was recognized in 57% of VA, 33% of mucosal components of CIVA, and 7% of invasive components of CIVA. Several characteristic features were recognized in villous tumors, which comprised: (i) a high frequency of coexistence of carcinoma; (ii) multiple foci of carcinomas arising in adenomatous tumors; (iii) a lower histological grade of carcinomas, often with mucin pools; (iv) the existence of extremely well-differentiated adenocarcinomas; and (v) less frequent expression of p53 protein in the carcinomatous components. According to these findings, the pathway of tumor progression in the villous tumors is possibly different from that of sporadic colorectal carcinomas. Because of the peculiarity of villous tumors, careful clinical management is required.
Diseases of the Colon & Rectum · 1978 · 7 citations
Management of benign villous adenomas of the entire rectum
AbstractWhile villous adenomas of the rectum are common, they rarely encompass the entire rectum to the dentate line. It is even more unusual to find a tumor of this size to be benign. Fluid and electrolyte deficits associated with this tumor add to the difficulty in management. The experienced surgeon should be aware of the various modes of treatment and be able safely to use the appropriate operation. It is as grave an injustice to the patient to treat a benign lesion as a malignancy as it is to remove the rectum for a benign villous adenoma.
The journal of the Japanese Practical Surgeon Society · 1986 · 0 citations · open access
A CASE OF ADENOCARCINOMA IN VILLOUS ADENOMA OF THE CECUM
AbstractThe number of reports on villous adenoma of the large intestine has recently been increasing, but most of the lesions are located in the rectum and the sigmoid colon. Villous adenoma of the cecum is very rare, and there are only four cases including the present one, as far as we could investigate. The patient was a 75-year-old woman. She visited our department with the complaint of right hypogastric pain. She was diagnosed as having a villous adenoma of the cecum by enema and radiography, and endoscopy of the large intestine. Resection of the ileocecum (R2) was performed because of the size of the tumor and the high incidence of a complication of cancer. Examination of the excised specimen revealed that the tumor was 3×3×3.5cm in size and sub-pedunculated. Histopathological examination revealed that two-thirds of the tumor was a villous adenoma and the remaining third was a well-differentiated tubular adenocarcinoma. It has been reported that the incidence of the complication of cancer in villous adenoma is 89.2% in Japan. Villous adenoma is thus liable to be wide-based and the size is 2cm or more in most cases, seemingly showing severe malignancy. For treatment, a small tumor should be totally resected under endoscopic observation, and if intestinal resection is necessary, the lesion should be operated on as carcinoma of the colon.
International Journal of Gynecological Pathology · 1986 · 0 citations
Villous Adenoma of the Uterine Cervix Associated with Invasive Adenocarcinoma
AbstractAn unusual neoplasm of the uterine cervix had the features of a villous adenoma with an adjacent adenocarcinoma. Histologic and electron microscopic features of the lesion are described, as well as immunohistochemical staining of the lesion for carcinoembryonic antigen. Electron microscopic evidence of intestinal differentiation in the villous adenoma suggests a rarely recognized potential for intestinal metaplasia in the uterine cervix. The association of villous adenoma with cervical adenocarcinoma underscores the malignant potential and the need for complete excision of this rare cervical lesion.
Journal of Neurological Surgery Part B Skull Base · 2023 · 0 citations
Natural History of Long-Term Observed Nonfunctioning Pituitary Adenomas: 434 Consecutive Cases of a Single Institute
AbstractIntroduction: Surgical treatment for nonfunctioning adenoma (NFPA) is indicated when it grows rapidly or worsens visual or endocrine symptoms. However, since standard treatment guidelines for NFPA have not been established, surgical treatment is being performed at various time points in actual clinical practice. It is essential to establish the natural history of NFPA, especially since it is difficult to predict the growth of NFPA. We aimed to establish a natural course of NFPA by following up with 434 patients with NFPA.
Disease module: DeepOracle (Open Targets). Structures: RDKit from PubChem SMILES. Literature: retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works using Disease Ontology synonyms, resolved on OpenAlex.
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