DeCure for Gallbladder Small Cell Neuroendocrine Carcinoma
DeCure's autonomous Cancer AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for Gallbladder Small Cell Neuroendocrine Carcinoma — 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 moduleGallbladder Small Cell Neuroendocrine Carcinoma 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 gallbladder small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma 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
lysine demethylase 6A (KDM6A) — KDM6A 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 e7zdrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 6FUL · 1.649 Å · ligand 1-methyl-5-oxidanyl-4-oxidanylidene-pyridine-2-carboxylic acid (E7Z). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
Gallbladder small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma is extremely rare. In a multi-centre series of 21 patients with gallbladder neuroendocrine neoplasms, 20 had poorly differentiated small-cell neuroendocrine carcinomas and one had large-cell NEC; all presented with advanced disease (stage IIIB in 6 patients, stage IV in 15 patients). After propensity score matching by stage, age, sex and operation status with 19 patients who had gallbladder adenocarcinoma, the neuroendocrine carcinoma patients had similar overall survival and progression-free survival. Among the neuroendocrine carcinoma group, the nine patients who underwent surgical resection had significantly better progression-free survival than those who did not. Another case report describes a 63-year-old woman who underwent radical resection for a gallbladder mass with liver invasion; histology showed small-cell-type neuroendocrine carcinoma with a Ki-67 index of approximately 80% and positive staining for chromogranin A and synaptophysin. She received four cycles of adjuvant cisplatin/etoposide and was disease-free at 16 months.
A separate case report of primary small-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the gallbladder states that no universally accepted or satisfactory treatment exists. A review of two patients with gallbladder neuroendocrine tumours notes that overall outcome appears worse than for similarly staged lung neuroendocrine tumours or gallbladder adenocarcinoma, and argues that current guidelines derived from lung or gastrointestinal neuroendocrine tumour experience may not be adequate. All sources agree that non-specific symptoms and late diagnosis are typical.
What is still missing is any prospective trial designed specifically for gallbladder small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma, which remains too rare to attract dedicated funding or to permit adequately powered randomised comparisons. The evidence base consists of small retrospective series and single case reports, with no validated chemotherapy regimen beyond extrapolation from lung small cell protocols, and no data on immunotherapy or targeted agents in this subtype. Earlier detection through improved imaging or surveillance strategies is not yet studied.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
Cancers · 2021 · 13 citations · open access
Comparison of the Clinical Features and Outcomes of Gallbladder Neuroendocrine Carcinoma with Those of Adenocarcinoma: A Propensity Score-Matched Analysis
AbstractNeuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs) of the gallbladder (GB) are extremely rare. We aimed to compare the clinical features, disease progression, management, and prognosis of patients with GB-NENs with those of patients with GB-adenocarcinomas (ADCs). A total of 21 patients with GB-NENs and 206 patients with GB-ADCs, treated at three tertiary medical centers between January 2010 and December 2020, were enrolled. Of the 21 patients with GB-NENs, 20 were diagnosed with poorly differentiated small-cell neuroendocrine carcinomas (NECs), and 1 patient had large-cell NEC. All patients presented with advanced stages of cancer with extensive local extension and/or distant metastasis and non-specific symptoms. Tumor-node-metastasis stage IIIB and IV (A/B) tumors were found in 6 and 15 (1/14) patients, respectively. Nine patients with GB-NEC who underwent surgical resection had a significantly better progression-free survival (PFS) than those who did not undergo surgery. After a propensity score matching with a 1:1 ratio using the American Joint Committee on Cancer stage, age, sex, and operation status, 19 pairs of patients were included. Compared with stage-matched patients with GB-ADC, patients with GB-NEC had similar overall survival and PFS. However, as GB-NEC is rarely diagnosed early, further studies investigating methods for the early diagnosis and improvement in the survival of patients with GB-NEC are needed.
Gastrointestinal Tumors · 2021 · 5 citations · open access
Gallbladder Neuroendocrine Tumors: Is There a Need for a Specific Approach?
AbstractNeuroendocrine tumors (NETs) of the gallbladder or the biliary tree are rare. Most of the current guidelines and protocols are derived from the experience of managing lung small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma or gastrointestinal NETs. But, the overall outcome of gallbladder NETs (GB-NETs) seems worse than similarly staged lung NETs and adenocarcinoma of the gallbladder. This may be due to its rarity and lack of literature for a focused approach toward its treatment. Hence, the need for a specifically designed approach might help improve results of treatment for these rare tumors. We share our experience of 2 patients with GB-NETs and their 5-year outcome.
Frontiers in Oncology · 2025 · 2 citations · open access
Rare case report: primary small-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the gallbladder
AbstractGallbladder cancer (GBC) accounts for 1.7% of all cancer-related deaths. Neuroendocrine carcinoma of the gallbladder (GB-NEC) is a rare subtype of GBC that is more malignant than GBC. Small-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the gallbladder (GB-SCNEC) is a rare malignant tumor with a low incidence. To date, no universally accepted or satisfactory treatment exists. This case report details the clinical presentation, diagnostic process, and treatment strategy of a patient with GB-SCNEC. The analysis of this rare case is intended to provide clinicians with diagnostic and therapeutic insights for future research.
Journal of Cancer Research and Practice · 2022 · 0 citations · open access
Poorly Differentiated Neuroendocrinecarcinoma of the Gallbladder
AbstractPoorly differentiated neuroendocrine carcinoma of the gallbladder is an aggressive and extremely rare type of neuroendocrine tumor. The clinical presentations in most cases are nonspecific, resulting in patients being diagnosed at an advanced stage of the disease. Herein, we report our experience with the case of a 63-year-old woman with no comorbidities who underwent radical resection for a diagnosed gallbladder mass. Abdominal computed tomography scans and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography indicated intraluminal masses in the gallbladder with liver invasion. Histologically, the mass was composed of solid sheets of poorly differentiated carcinoma cells with hyperchromatic nuclei; a high Ki-67 index of approximately 80%. The cells were positive for chromogranin A and synaptophysin, and small-cell-type neuroendocrine carcinoma was diagnosed. Postoperatively, she underwent adjuvant chemotherapy with four cycles of cisplatin/etoposide chemotherapy and was disease-free 16 months after surgical treatment with normal hormone-specific markers.
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.
