DeCure for Extragonadal nonseminomatous germ cell tumor
DeCure's autonomous Cancer AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for extragonadal nonseminomatous germ cell tumor — screening already-approved drugs against its 15-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleExtragonadal nonseminomatous germ cell tumor maps to a 15-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 extragonadal nonseminomatous germ cell tumor 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 tyrosine phosphatase receptor type B (PTPRB) — PTPRB 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 tert-butoxycarbonyldrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 2I4G · 1.65 Å · ligand N-(TERT-BUTOXYCARBONYL)-L-TYROSYL-N-METHYL-4-(SULFOAMINO)-L-PHENYLALANINAMIDE (UA1). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
In a 1985 series from Memorial Sloan-Kettering, 29 patients with extragonadal nonseminomatous germ-cell tumours received high-dose cisplatin-based chemotherapy. Complete response was achieved in only 41% (12 of 29), and only four patients remained alive and disease-free, with a median survival of 18 months. The authors stated that minimal improvement in complete response rates had been achieved compared with earlier regimens and that these patients have a relatively poor prognosis compared with those with primary testicular tumours.
A 2000 case report describes a 23-year-old woman with a yolk sac tumour arising in the rectum. She was treated with four courses of cisplatin, etoposide, and bleomycin followed by surgical resection. No residual tumour was identified, and she remained disease-free at 3.5 years. The authors note that previous reports were limited by small numbers, a focus on paediatric patients, and treatment before cisplatin became available.
A 2012 case report describes a 37-year-old man with a primary mixed nonseminomatous germ-cell tumour (teratocarcinoma) in the right arm. He was treated with cisplatin-based chemotherapy and surgery. After 18 months of follow-up, no locoregional recurrence or distant metastases had been detected. A 2018 case report describes a 31-year-old man with a yolk-sac retroperitoneal germ-cell tumour that presented with normal serum alpha-fetoprotein and lactate dehydrogenase levels, which the authors state had not previously been described. Testicular primary was excluded. The authors emphasise that a high level of suspicion is required for diagnosis.
What is still missing are prospective trials large enough to define optimal chemotherapy regimens and durations for extragonadal nonseminomatous germ-cell tumours specifically, rather than extrapolating from testicular cancer protocols. Patient stratification by histologic subtype and biomarker profile is not established, and funding for multi-centre collaborative studies in this rare disease remains limited.
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 Oncology · 1986 · 201 citations
VAB-6: an effective chemotherapy regimen for patients with germ-cell tumors.
AbstractOne hundred sixty-six patients with germ-cell tumors (GCT) of the testis, retroperitoneum, and mediastinum were treated with cyclophosphamide, vinblastine, bleomycin, dactinomycin, and cisplatin (VAB-6), with and without maintenance chemotherapy. The overall complete response (CR) rate was 78%, 67% to chemotherapy alone, and 11% after chemotherapy and resection of viable residual cancer. The CR rate in all patients with seminoma was uniformly high, while the CR rate of patients with testicular nonseminomatous germ-cell tumors (79%) was superior to that of similar tumors of extragonadal origin (60%). The overall relapse rate was 12%, and was greater in tumors of extragonadal origin (21%) than in those of testicular origin (11%). Three relapses occurred after 2 years. Maintenance chemotherapy did not prolong either relapse-free or total survival. Toxicity was tolerable, and there were no treatment deaths. No Raynaud's phenomena have occurred, with a minimum duration since start of therapy of 36 months. VAB-6 is an effective chemotherapy regimen in patients with GCT with no treatment-related deaths and a majority of patients requiring only 3 months of treatment.
Journal of Clinical Oncology · 1985 · 74 citations
The results of chemotherapy for extragonadal germ-cell tumors in the cisplatin era: the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center experience (1975 to 1982).
AbstractThirty-eight patients with extragonadal germ-cell tumors treated at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (New York) between 1975 and 1982 received high-dose cisplatin-based chemotherapy. Complete response was achieved in 89% of patients with pure seminoma and all complete responders are alive without evidence of disease (median follow-up time, 29+ months). Complete response was achieved in only 41% (12 of 29) of patients with extragonadal nonseminomatous germ-cell tumors; only four patients are alive and free of disease (median survival time, 18 months). Although patients with extragonadal seminoma respond well with current cisplatin-based chemotherapy, minimal improvement in CR rates has been achieved in patients with extragonadal nonseminomatous tumors. Patients with extragonadal nonseminomatous germ-cell tumors have a relatively poor prognosis when compared to patients with primary testicular tumors and investigational trials of innovative therapy should be considered.
International Journal of Urology · 2005 · 23 citations
Retroperitoneal seminoma with ‘burned out’ phenomenon in the testis
AbstractThe rare 'burned out' phenomenon in germ cell tumors is known as the presence of an extragonadal germ cell tumor without traces of neoplasm in the testis. This condition is different and less common from the primary extragonadal germ cell malignancies. These malignancies are treated surgically with or without adjuvant chemotherapy or radiotherapy and their prognosis is better than that of other types of primary extragonadal tumors.
World Journal of Surgical Oncology · 2012 · 18 citations · open access
Extragonadal mixed germ cell tumor of the right arm: description of the first case in the literature
AbstractBACKGROUND: Extragonadal localization of germ cell tumors (GCTs) is rare; to the best of our knowledge, a location in the soft tissue of the arm has never been previously reported in the literature. CASE PRESENTATION: We report the case of a 37-year-old man who presented with a primary malignant mixed non-seminomatous GCT (teratocarcinoma variety) in the right arm, treated by a combination of cisplatin-based chemotherapy and surgery. After 18 months of close follow-up, no locoregional recurrence or distant metastases have been detected. CONCLUSIONS: A combination of chemotherapy and surgery is the most appropriate treatment strategy for extragonadal GCTs, to ensure both local and systemic control.
AbstractExtragonadal germ cell tumors are well recognized in men but have rarely been reported in women. Reports have primarily focused on the pediatric population and have suggested a poor prognosis for extragonadal yolk sac tumors. A 23-year-old woman with a yolk sac tumor arising in the rectum is described. A review of the English-language literature (MEDLINE 1966-1998) regarding extragonadal germ cell tumors in females is provided. Treatment with four courses of cisplatin, etoposide, and bleomycin was followed by surgical resection of the involved area. No residual tumor was identified. She remains disease free 3.5 years later. Previous reports are limited by the small number of patients, focus on the pediatric population, and treatment before the availability of cisplatin. Extragonadal germ cell tumors in women are extremely rare but can be successfully treated with aggressive chemotherapy and surgery similar to testis cancer.
European Journal of Case Reports in Internal Medicine · 2018 · 2 citations · open access
An Unusual Case of Primary Retroperitoneal Germ Cell Tumour in a Young Man
AbstractSome 2-5% of germ cell tumours are of extragonadal origin, with a retroperitoneal location being very rare. The majority of retroperitoneal germ cell tumours have metastasized from a testicular tumour. These tumours are diagnosed incidentally or symptomatically and nearly all present with high alpha-fetoprotein and lactate dehydrogenase levels. We describe the unusual case of a 31-year-old man with a yolk-sac, retroperitoneal germ cell tumour, with normal serum alpha-fetoprotein and lactate dehydrogenase levels, which has not previously been described. A testicular tumour was excluded by physical examination and additional tests. Our diagnosis was based on a high level of suspicion and histopathological results. As far as we know, this is the first case described with these characteristics. LEARNING POINTS: Extragonadal germ cell tumours are rare but can have fatal consequences if undiagnosed.The usual laboratory markers of the disease were absent in our patient.A high level of suspicion is required for diagnosis and close follow-up is required.
Greater South Information System · 2012 · 0 citations · open access
Extragonadal mixed germ cell tumor of the right arm: description of the first case in the literature
AbstractExtragonadal localization of germ cell tumors (GCTs) is rare; to the best of our knowledge, a location in the soft tissue of the arm has never been previously reported in the literature.We report the case of a 37-year-old man who presented with a primary malignant mixed non-seminomatous GCT (teratocarcinoma variety) in the right arm, treated by a combination of cisplatin-based chemotherapy and surgery. After 18 months of close follow-up, no locoregional recurrence or distant metastases have been detected.A combination of chemotherapy and surgery is the most appropriate treatment strategy for extragonadal GCTs, to ensure both local and systemic control.
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.
