DeCure's autonomous Cancer AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for lip cancer — 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 moduleLip cancer 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 lip cancer 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
transforming growth factor beta receptor 1 (TGFBR1) — TGFBR1 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 methoxymethyldrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 3KCF · 2.8 Å · ligand 4-[3-(methoxymethyl)phenyl]-1,2-dimethyl-5-quinoxalin-6-yl-1,2-dihydro-3H-pyrazol-3-one (JZO). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
Lip cancer is most commonly squamous cell carcinoma, with sun exposure, smoking, and chronic irritation playing important roles. Treatment requires a multidisciplinary approach that considers operability, comorbid disease, patient expectations, tumour stage, location, size, depth, and characteristics.
A 2020 case report describes a 42-year-old woman with a 10 × 5 cm fungating lower lip squamous cell carcinoma who was treated with intra-arterial infusion of methotrexate. 25 mg of methotrexate was infused continuously to each side of the external carotid artery every 24 hours using two portable pumps, for a total of 300 mg over 6 days. The tumour shrank dramatically after treatment initiation and disappeared completely 2 months later. The patient remained recurrence-free at 4.5 years of follow-up. The authors note that intra-arterial infusion delivers a high drug concentration to the lesion with limited side effects, and suggest it may be an option for unresectable lesions or patients unwilling to undergo resection.
A 1991 study from Istanbul University Oncology Institute reviewed 41 lip cancer patients treated with brachytherapy between 1988 and 2003, with a median follow-up of 88 months. 21 patients had primary tumours, 14 had tumours arising postoperatively, and 6 had postoperative recurrence. 33 patients (80%) received brachytherapy alone and 8 (20%) received brachytherapy plus external radiotherapy. The 10-year local control rate was 100% for brachytherapy alone, 93% for brachytherapy plus surgery, and 67% for postoperative recurrence (p<0.02). For brachytherapy only and brachytherapy plus surgery, disease-free survival was 95% and 94%, and overall survival was 93% and 100%, respectively; these differences were not statistically significant. One patient with postoperative recurrence died of lip cancer. No patients developed ulcerations, intra-oral complications, or mandibular necrosis. 83% of the brachytherapy-only group had excellent or good cosmetic results, while 62% of the surgery group had a contour deformity. The authors report satisfactory results for stage T1 and T2 lesions treated with brachytherapy alone and stage T3 lesions treated with brachytherapy plus external radiotherapy.
What is still missing are prospective randomised trials comparing these approaches, standardised patient stratification by tumour stage and resectability, and dedicated funding to test intra-arterial methotrexate in larger, controlled studies rather than 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.
Turkish Archives of Otorhinolaryngology · 2014 · 6 citations · open access
The Management, Current Treatment Modalities and Reconstruction Techniques for Lip Cancer
AbstractThe lips are important anatomic structures which have vital and social functions such as eating, drinking, phonation, speaking, kissing and expressing emotions. Squamous cell carcinoma is the most common histopathological type of lip cancer. Sun exposure, smoking, and chronic irritation have an important role in the etiopathogenesis. Lip cancers constitute a serious health problem and their treatment requires a multidisciplinary approach. The operability status of patients, comorbid disease and patient expectations, tumor stage, location, size, depth and characteristics should be carefully evaluated while planning the treatment of these cancers. The purpose of this article is to present contemporary treatment modalities in cancers of the lip, tumor staging and treatment planning, analysis of lip defects related to surgery, major principles and techniques of lip reconstruction.
International Journal of Surgery Case Reports · 2020 · 6 citations · open access
Case report of a huge lower lip cancer successfully treated with intra-arterial infusion chemotherapy
AbstractINTRODUCTION: We present a difficult case of huge squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of lower lip that was successfully treated by intra-arterial infusion with methotrexate (MTX). PRESENTATION OF CASE: This 42-year-old female patient present with a fungating lower lip SCC of approximately 10 × 5 cm in size. MTX 25 mg was infused continuously to each side of external carotid artery every 24 h using two portable pumps. Totally, MTX 300 mg was given over 6 days. After treatment initiation, the tumor shrank dramatically and disappeared completely 2 months after the therapy. The patient was now recurrence-free at the recent follow-up 4 and half years after therapy. DISCUSSION: Intra-arterial infusion chemotherapy has the advantage of delivering a high concentration of anticancer drug to the lesion to induce a rapid shrinkage of the tumor and the side effects are limited. Intra-arterial infusion with MTX achieves good tumor response to lower lip cancer with excellent anatomical and functional preservation. CONCLUSION: This therapy may be a treatment option in lower lip cancers with unresectable lesions, or in those patients who are unwilling to undergo resection.
Numantia: Arqueología en Castilla y León · 1991 · 1 citations
El monasterio de San Vicente de Alcozar (Soria): aproximación arqueológica a su realidad histórica
AbstractStage T1 through T3 lip cancers can be treated primarily by brachytherapy (BRTX), with or without external radiotherapy (ERT), with adequate safety margins and good results. In this study, the outcomes of BRTX were reviewed for patients treated at the Brachytherapy Department of the Istanbul University Oncology Institute (IUOE). The medical records of 41 patients registered at IUOE with a diagnosis of lip cancer between 1988 and 2003 were reviewed. The median follow-up time was 88 months (24-160 mo). Among these patients, 21 patients with a primary tumor, 14 with tumors arising postoperatively, and 6 with postoperative recurrence of tumor were treated using BRTX. A total of 33 patients (80%) received BRTX alone and 8 (20%) received BRTX and ERT. The 10-year local control rate was 100%, 93%, and 67% for patients treated with BRTX alone, BRTX and surgery, and those treated for postoperative recurrence, respectively (P<.02). For patients treated with BRTX only and BRTX plus surgery, specific disease-free survival was 95% and 94%, respectively, and overall survival was 93% and 100%, respectively; these differences were not statistically significant. One patient with a postoperative recurrence who had been treated with BRTX died as a result of lip cancer. No patients developed any ulcerations, intra-oral complications, or mandibular necrosis. In the BRTX only group, 83% had excellent or good cosmetic results. In the surgery group, 62% had a contour deformity. In lip cancer management, BRTX results were comparable for local control, survival, and minimal late effects in normal tissue. This is in accordance with current reports in the medical literature. Satisfactory results were observed in patients with stage T1 and T2 lesions who had been treated with BRTX only and in patients with stage T3 lesions who had been treated with BRTX plus ERT, without a need for additional treatment modalities.
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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