DeCure's autonomous Cancer AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for follicular dendritic cell sarcoma — screening already-approved drugs against its 14-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleFollicular dendritic cell sarcoma maps to a 14-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 follicular dendritic cell sarcoma 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
fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 (FGFR3) — FGFR3 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 acpdrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 4K33 · 2.3405 Å · ligand PHOSPHOMETHYLPHOSPHONIC ACID ADENYLATE ESTER (ACP). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
Follicular dendritic cell sarcoma is a rare tumour with no standard treatment established. A series of 10 head and neck cases reported a 70% overall recurrence rate after surgery; the mean recurrence-free survival was 39.6 months and the median was 44 months. Two of the three patients who remained recurrence-free at 60 months had low-grade tumours. The authors concluded that the benefit of adjuvant radiotherapy and chemotherapy is not yet established, and that tri-modality management for high-grade tumours needs substantiation in future studies.
A separate case of mediastinal follicular dendritic cell sarcoma with a 26-year history of multiple relapses after surgery showed very little impact from chemotherapy, whereas radiotherapy performed twice with an 8-year interval was described as having a key role. Another case, in which surgical excision was not possible, received two lines of chemotherapy followed by bone marrow allotransplantation and then a third line of chemotherapy, achieving a complete metabolic response on PET/CT at 29 months follow-up. A case of intracranial interdigitating dendritic cell sarcoma, a related but distinct entity, remained recurrence-free 1.5 years after complete resection alone.
The literature consists only of small case series and single case reports. No prospective trials or consensus treatment guidelines exist. What is missing is any prospective trial design, adequate funding for multi-centre studies, and a reliable method to stratify patients by tumour grade or molecular profile to guide treatment decisions.
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 AND DIAGNOSTIC RESEARCH · 2016 · 13 citations · open access
Clinicopathological Profile and Outcomes of Follicular Dendritic Cell Sarcoma of the Head and Neck Region - A Study of 10 Cases with Literature Review
AbstractINTRODUCTION: Follicular Dendritic Cell Sarcomas (FDCS) are rare disorders of the lymph node and soft tissues. Accurate characterization of these neoplasms is important in planning optimal treatment given its potential for recurrence and metastasis. AIM: To analyse the clinicopathological profile and outcomes of a series of 10 cases of follicular dendritic cell sarcoma arising in the head and neck region diagnosed at our regional cancer centre. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A series of 10 cases of FDCS of the head and neck region from the hospital registry of head and neck cancers diagnosed between 2007 and 2013 were collected and analysed retrospectively. Clinical details, pathologic features, immuno-phenotypic profile, treatment approach and outcomes over a period of 5 years were noted. The Recurrence Free Survivals (RFS) of all the patients were recorded. RESULTS: The median age of the patients was 57 years and the mean age was 50.9 years. Male: female ratio was 7:3. In eight of the 10 patients, the tumours were located in the tonsils. All the tumour cells showed diffuse cytoplasmic CD21 and CD23 positivity by IHC. All the 10 cases underwent surgical excision of the tumour and three cases underwent additional neck dissection for cervical lymph node enlargement. All the patients with high grade tumours were uniformly managed with Tri-modality treatment (Surgery followed by radiotherapy and chemotherapy). The overall recurrence rate was 70%. The mean and median recurrence free survival was 39.6 and 44 months, respectively. Two of the three patients who remained recurrence free at the end of the 60 months had low grade tumours. CONCLUSION: Early recognition of follicular dendritic cell sarcomas requires a high index of suspicion and bi-modality or tri-modality treatment may cure a subset of low and high grade tumours respectively and prolong recurrence in a large subset of patients. Surgery is the mainstay and the definitive modality of treatment; the advantages and benefit of adjuvant radiotherapy and chemotherapy are yet to be established. Tri-modality management may have a role in high grade patients which needs to be substantiated in future studies.
AbstractBACKGROUND AND IMPORTANCE: This is the first report of a primarily intracranial interdigitating dendritic cell sarcoma (IDCS). CLINICAL PRESENTATION: A 39-year-old patient with right hemiparesis underwent complete resection of a large parafalcine tumor with subsequent complete recovery of neurological symptoms. Histologically, the tumor was diagnosed as IDCS. Extensive staging did not reveal any extracranial manifestation of this disease. After 1.5 years, the patient remains recurrence free and is being observed closely. CONCLUSION: IDCS are exceedingly rare tumors and so far have not been found intracranially. On the basis of the limited experience with extracranial occurrence, this tumor is best managed by complete resection and careful oncological observation. ABBREVIATIONS: FDCS, follicular dendritic cell sarcomaIDCS, interdigitating dendritic cell sarcomaRTU, ready-to-use kit.
Follicular Dendritic Cell Sarcoma of Mediastinum: A Key Role of Radiotherapy in a Multidisciplinary Approach
AbstractFollicular dendritic cell sarcoma is a rare and aggressive tumor and its management is a major clinical challenge. Surgery is considered the mainstay of treatment and no adjuvant approach has demonstrated the ability to reduce the rate of relapses. We report on a case of a man with a 26-year clinical history of mediastinal follicular dendritic cell sarcoma, with several relapses after multiple surgical interventions. The impact of chemotherapy was very small, unlike the radiation therapy that was performed twice, with an interval time of 8 years, through an intensity-modulated technique and an altered fractionation schedule.
Clinical Medicine Insights Oncology · 2015 · 7 citations · open access
Intraperitoneal Follicular Dendritic Cell Sarcoma: Role of Chemotherapy and Bone Marrow Allotransplantation in Locally Advanced Disease?
AbstractWe describe a case of a 44 year-old woman diagnosed with follicular dendritic cell sarcoma (FDCS). FDCS is a very rare disease affecting the dendritic antigen presenting cells and is often misdiagnosed. Surgery is considered the best treatment modality, followed by chemotherapy. In our case, surgical excision was not possible, therefore the patient received two lines of chemotherapy followed by bone marrow allotransplantation, then a third line of chemotherapy with a complete metabolic response seen on PET/computed tomography (CT) follow-up 29 months later. A review of the literature has been performed.
Intraabdominal Follicular Dendritic Cell Sarcoma: A Report of Three Cases and Review of the Literature
AbstractFollicular dendritic cell sarcoma (FDCS) is a rare neoplasm that originates from follicular dendritic cells in lymphoid follicles. FDCS has been increasingly reported in recent years. However, data on FDCS are mostly based on single case reports or case series and its natural history and standard treatment are not clear. To increase the understanding of this rare disease, we report our experience of three cases of FDCS with an analysis of the morphological and immunophenotypic characteristics, clinical course, treatment options and response to treatment. In addition, we reviewed the literature on FDCS.
Scholars Journal of Medical Case Reports · 2025 · 0 citations · open access
Cervical Follicular Dendritic Sarcoma: A Rare and Challenging Diagnosis
AbstractDendritic follicular sarcoma (DFS) is a relatively new tumor, very rare and often poorly understood. It occurs mainly in the peripheral lymph nodes at the expense of dendritic follicular cells. However, extra nodal locations have also been reported in the literature. Diagnosis is often difficult, depending mainly on immunohistochemistry and histopathology. There are currently no consensus treatment strategies proposed by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. The aim of this work is to highlight the different aspects of follicular dendritic sarcoma. We report a rare case of cervical follicular dendritic sarcoma with a review of the literature.
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.
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