DeCure's autonomous Cancer AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for lobular breast carcinoma — screening already-approved drugs against its 45-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleLobular breast carcinoma maps to a 45-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 lobular breast 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
axin 1 (AXIN1) — AXIN1 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 dttdrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 1DK8 · 1.57 Å · ligand 2,3-DIHYDROXY-1,4-DITHIOBUTANE (DTT). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
In situ lobular carcinoma of the breast was first described in 1941, and by 1965 fewer than 40 cases had been reported. A series of 13 patients from the University of Chicago included nine followed for five years or more, the longest for 24 years. The natural history of the lesion was not completely delineated at that time, making therapeutic decisions difficult. The accepted treatment for in situ carcinoma was considerably more conservative than therapy for invasive cancer, and early treatment results were usually good.
A 2013 review describes lobular neoplasia as encompassing atypical lobular hyperplasia and lobular carcinoma in situ. It is considered both a risk factor and a non-mandatory precursor for invasive carcinoma. A pleomorphic subtype with aggressive behaviour and high nuclear grade can mimic high-grade ductal carcinoma in situ. Management after diagnosis by core biopsy remains controversial. Molecular and genomic studies have identified genes that may clarify pathogenesis and guide safer therapeutic approaches.
A 2020 retrospective cohort study of 455 invasive lobular carcinoma cases from a university hospital in the west of Ireland, with minimum five-year follow-up, reported that 88.6% were oestrogen receptor positive, 74.5% progesterone receptor positive, and 75.6% HER2 negative. Mean age at diagnosis was 61.6 years, and 71.4% of women were post-menopausal. Luminal A accounted for 76.5% of cases; 9.2% of these patients had a disease recurrence at a local or distant site. Overall, 10.9% of women had a disease recurrence, 3.3% were alive with recurrence, and 7.3% had died after recurrence. Bone, liver, lung and brain were the most common metastatic sites, favouring hormone receptor positive patients. Single-site metastasis occurred most commonly in bone at a median time of 62 months, and mean overall survival after recurrence was 70.8 months. The authors note that 296 patients over 67 years were still alive and highly prone to disease recurrence.
What remains missing is prospective data that could clarify the natural history of in situ lesions and guide management after core biopsy. The retrospective nature of the 2020 cohort limits its conclusions, and no randomised trials have addressed optimal surveillance or treatment for the late recurrences that characterise invasive lobular carcinoma. Patient stratification by genomic subtype is still in development, and funding for long-term follow-up studies is scarce.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
Archives of Surgery · 1965 · 52 citations
In Situ Lobular Carcinoma of the Breast
AbstractTHE CONCEPT of carcinoma in situ, as opposed to carcinoma with invasion, is widely recognized. In general, the accepted treatment for in situ carcinoma is considerably more conservative than therapy for invasive cancer. The results of early treatment are usually good, and the consequences of neglect are clear when the natural history of the tumor has been fully described. The natural history of in situ lobular carcinoma of the breast is not completely delineated. Since the original description by Foote and Stewart<sup>1</sup>in 1941, fewer than 40 cases have been reported, making therapeutic decisions for women with this disease difficult. Our purpose is to report 13 patients with in situ lobular carcinoma of the breast treated at the University of Chicago, nine of whom have been followed for five years or more, with the longest follow-up being 24 years. These patients are presented particularly because of the duration of
Breast Cancer Research · 2007 · 25 citations · open access
Genomics and premalignant breast lesions: clues to the development and progression of lobular breast cancer
AbstractAdvances in genomic technology have improved our understanding of the genetic events that parallel breast cancer development. Because almost all mammary carcinomas develop in the terminal duct lobular units of the breast, understanding the events involved in mammary gland development make it possible to recognize those events that, when altered, contribute to breast neoplasia. In this review we focus on lobular carcinomas, discussing the pathology, development, and progression of premalignant lobular lesions from a genomic point of view. We highlight studies utilizing genomic approaches and describe how these investigations have furthered our understanding of the complexity of premalignant breast lesions.
Mesentery and Peritoneum · 2020 · 0 citations · open access
AB032. Clinical outcomes and relapse profiles in invasive lobular carcinoma—a 15-year experience
AbstractBackground: Invasive lobular carcinoma accounts for 5–15% of all breast cancers. The aim of this study was to assess the clinical outcome and relapse profile of patients with Invasive Lobular Carcinoma cases at a university hospital in the west of Ireland. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was performed on a prospectively maintained database of 455 invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) cases at the University Hospital Galway from 1999–2013. Minimum of 5-years follow up required. Results: A total of 455 ILC cases were analysed, 403 (88.6%) ER+, 339 (74.5%) PR+ and 344 (75.6%) HER2−, 175 (38.5%) T2, 189 (41.5%) N0, and 56 (12.4%) had bilateral presentation. The mean (SD) age of patients at diagnosis was 61.6 [13] years, and 325 (71.4%) of women were post-menopausal. Luminal A accounted for 348 (76.5%), and 32 (9.2%) luminal A patients had a disease recurrence at either a local or distant site. There was an even split between bone and non-bone disease recurrence. Of the 8 (1.8%) HER2+ patients, 4 of had a disease recurrence and 3 of these were non-bone locations. A total of 50 (10.9%) women had a disease recurrence, 15 (3.3%) of the patients are alive with disease recurrence and 33 (7.3%) had a disease recurrence and are now deceased. Bone, Liver, Lung and Brain were the most common sites of metastasis, favoring hormone receptor positive patients. Single site metastasis (n=13) occurred most commonly in bone at a median time of 62 months. Overall survival for these patients is a mean (SD) of 70.8 (33.8) months. Conclusions: ILC cases tend to present in post-menopausal women most commonly with a grade II, estrogen and progesterone receptor positive, and HER2- tumor. ILC’s are prone to distant metastatic bony recurrence after five years of survival. Currently, 296 patients (>67 years) are still alive and are highly prone to disease recurrence.
Revista Médica de Minas Gerais · 2013 · 0 citations · open access
Lobular neoplasia of the breast: review
AbstractLobular neoplasia of the breast refers to lesions characterized by atypical lobular hyperplasia and by lobular carcinoma in situ. Lobular neoplasia is not only a risk factor but a non-mandatory precursor for the development of invasive carcinoma. Pleomorphic lobular carcinoma in situ is a subtype of lobular neoplasm with an aggressive behavior and high nuclear grade that can mimic high-grade ductal carcinoma in situ. Management and monitoring the patients with lobular neoplasm is controversial, especially when diagnosis is made through core biopsy. Molecular and genomic studies have been able to identify genes that can dispel doubts as to its pathogenesis and allow an approach that may lead to safer and more appropriate therapeutic approaches. This review seeks to describe the most up-to-date approaches to lobular neoplasia of the breast.
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.
