DeCure's autonomous Rare AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for hidradenoma — 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 moduleHidradenoma 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 hidradenoma 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.
What the evidence adds up to
Nodular hidradenoma is a rare benign adnexal tumour, most likely arising from the eccrine gland. Three case reports from 1998 describe it presenting as an expanding nodule on the forehead, left lower extremity, and left neck. The authors emphasise that complete local excision is needed to prevent recurrence, and that histologic findings distinguish it from other adnexal tumours. A 2009 study of three patients aged 10–23 with head masses found that fine needle aspiration can identify hidradenoma by a cystic component, duct-like cells, and a biphasic cytoplasmic staining pattern; correct cytologic diagnosis prevents misdiagnosis as a malignant tumour. A 2021 case of poroid hidradenoma on the scalp of a 74-year-old woman notes that malignant transformation occurs in less than 1% of cases, but surgical excision is still recommended because the histology can resemble malignant neoplasms.
Malignant transformation of hidradenoma into hidradenocarcinoma is very rare. A 2022 case report describes a 27-year-old woman who developed hidradenocarcinoma over a surgically excised hidradenoma of the foot. Five years after excision of the benign lesion, a new lump appeared at the same site, followed by pelvic and inguinal lymphadenopathies. Lymph node biopsy confirmed hidradenocarcinoma metastasis. After wide local excision and lymphadenectomies, the patient received adjuvant radiotherapy and had no signs of recurrence at one year. The authors state that the malignancy progression rate of hidradenomas is unknown, and that hidradenomas and hidradenocarcinomas share clinical and histopathological characteristics that can lead to misdiagnosis. They argue that hidradenomas should be widely excised from the beginning rather than marginally resected, because marginal resection could lead to aggressive recurrence.
A 2014 case report of malignant nodular hidradenoma (hidradenocarcinoma) on the dorsum of the left foot in a 40-year-old male notes that only 70 cases had been documented in the literature by that time. The tumour has distinctive histologic and immunohistochemical criteria for malignancy, and it carries increased potential for local destruction and metastasis. Hidradenocarcinomas have a very poor survival rate, and early diagnosis is essential for better prognosis. The 2022 authors add that many questions about management and treatment remain uncertain due to the tumour’s rarity, and that while targeted molecular therapies have shown promising results, more studies are needed.
What is still missing are prospective studies with adequate sample sizes, given the extreme rarity of both hidradenoma and hidradenocarcinoma. No randomised trials exist to guide the extent of surgical margins or the role of adjuvant radiotherapy. Patient stratification by molecular markers is absent, and the natural history of malignant progression from benign hidradenoma remains unquantified. Funding for multi-centre registries or collaborative case collections would be required to generate evidence beyond single case reports.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
Dermatologic Surgery · 1998 · 25 citations
Nodular Hidradenoma
AbstractBACKGROUND: Nodular hidradenoma is a rare adnexal tumor most likely arising from the eccrine gland. OBJECTIVE: We describe three cases of a nodular hidradenoma presenting as an expanding nodule on the forehead (case 1), left lower extremity (case 2), and left neck (case 3). We discuss the clinical and histologic features of this tumor and present a review of the literature. CONCLUSIONS: This report highlights the salient histologic findings that distinguish nodular hidradenomas from other adnexal tumors and emphasizes the benefit of complete local excision to prevent recurrence of these tumors.
Cytologic Features of Hidradenoma in Fine Needle Aspiration Biopsies
AbstractOBJECTIVE: To review the cytologic features of hidradenoma to describe criteria that may aid in identification of these tumors at the time of aspiration and allow for a more specific diagnosis than the umbrella term of benign skin adnexal tumor. STUDY DESIGN: Three patients aged 10-23 years presented with mass lesions in the region of the head. Fine needle aspiration (FNA) of these lesions showed the presence of benign skin adnexal tumors. Subsequent histology showed the presence of hidradenomas. A retrospective analysis of the cytology was performed. RESULTS: The following cytomorphologic findings are consistent with the diagnosis of hidradenoma: a cystic component to the aspirate as represented by amorphous background material with or without foam cells and epithelial duct-like cells and tubular structures. In addition, a biphasic cytoplasmic staining pattern with both eosinophilic and clear to basophilic cells may be seen with the Papanicolaou stain in hidradenomas. CONCLUSION: Knowledge of the cytologic features of hidradenoma will allow for correct management of the patient and prevent misdiagnosis as a malignant tumor.
Archives of Craniofacial Surgery · 2021 · 5 citations · open access
Poroid hidradenoma of the scalp
AbstractPoroid hidradenoma has both features of hidradenoma and poroma. The histological hidradenoma framework consisting of solid and cystic components, and the presence of poroid and cuticular cells resembling a poroid neoplasm. Despite transforming into malignant neoplasm only in < 1% of cases, its histological characteristics may resemble those of malignant neoplasms. Although the risk of malignant transformation is very low, surgical excision is recommended to prevent growth and/or recurrence. To date, very few cases of poroid hidradenoma have been reported in the literature. Herein, we present a case of poroid hidradenoma on the scalp of a 74-year-old woman.
Journal of Orthopaedic Case Reports · 2022 · 2 citations · open access
Hidradenocarcinoma over a Surgically Excised Hidradenoma of the Foot. A Case Report of a Very Rare Presentation of a Rare Tumor
AbstractIntroduction: Hidradenocarcinomas are very rare and aggressive soft-tissue tumors, originated from sweat gland cells, which are located most frequently in head and neck, being their appearance at the extremities rare. This kind of tumor usually appears de novo and very few cases have been reported until now of appearance over benign lesions such as hidradenomas. Malignancy progression rate of hidradenomas is unknown, and this benign lesion has clinical and histopathological characteristics in common with hidradenocarcinomas that could lead to misdiagnosis. Hidradenocarcinomas have a very poor survival rate; therefore, an early diagnosis is essential for a better prognosis, and that is the reason why hidradenomas should be widely excised from the beginning, instead of performing marginal resections of this lesions that could lead to an aggressive recurrence. Case Presentation: Here is a case report of a 27-year-old woman diagnosed with a hidradenocarcinoma over a previously excised hidradenoma in the right foot. The diagnosis was made after right pelvic and inguinal lymphadenopathies appeared few months after a new small asymptomatic lump appeared at the same place in the sole of the right foot were the excised hidradenoma five years before was located. Lymph node biopsy was performed, with histopathological diagnosis of hidradenocarcinoma metastasis. Surgical local wide excision of the lump at the foot and lymphadenectomies was performed. Histopathological analysis of the samples confirmed the diagnosis of hidradenocarcinoma. The patient later received adjuvant radiotherapy and after one year there are no signs of disease recurrence. Conclusion: Many questions remain uncertain about the management and treatment of hidradenocarcinomas due to the rarity of this type of tumor. Although targeted molecular therapies have shown promising results, more studies in this field are necessary. An early diagnosis and differentiation from its benign counterparts that allow local control of the disease before spreading is essential to improve survival rates.
DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · 2014 · 1 citations · open access
Malignant Nodular Hidradenoma- A Distinctly Rare and Diagnostically Challenging Sweat Gland Tumor
AbstractMalignant Nodular Hidradenoma otherwise designated as Hidradenocarcinoma is a malignant sweat gland tumor which mandates attention due to its rarity and its increased potential for local destruction and metastasis. Though it was first reported in 1954, only 70 cases have been documented till date as per review of literature. The tumor possesses distinctive histological and immunohistochemical features with definitive criteria designed for detection of malignancy. This case report describes the occurrence of malignant nodular hidradenoma in a 40 year old male on the dorsum of the left foot.
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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