DeCure for Malignant Adrenal Gland Pheochromocytoma
DeCure's autonomous Cancer AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for Malignant Adrenal Gland Pheochromocytoma — screening already-approved drugs against its 9-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleMalignant Adrenal Gland Pheochromocytoma maps to a 9-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 malignant adrenal gland pheochromocytoma 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
endothelial PAS domain protein 1 (EPAS1) — EPAS1 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 furan-2-ylmethyldrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 3H82 · 1.5 Å · ligand N-(furan-2-ylmethyl)-2-nitro-4-(trifluoromethyl)aniline (020). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
A 2010 case report describes a 30-year-old woman with a left adrenal pheochromocytoma that presented as Cushing syndrome due to adrenocorticotrophic hormone secretion. The tumour measured 3.5 × 3 cm on MRI, and the patient had elevated 24-hour urinary cortisol, diabetes, and hypertension. After laparoscopic adrenalectomy, histopathology confirmed pheochromocytoma, and immunohistochemistry was positive for adrenocorticotrophic hormone and chromogranin. This is a single case, not a trial, and no data on long-term outcome or recurrence are given.
A 2022 case report describes a pheochromocytoma presenting with fever and iron deficiency anaemia, without the classic triad of hypertension, palpitations, and headache. The authors note that similar reports suggest interleukin-6 production by the tumour may drive this atypical presentation, implying that not all symptoms are due to catecholamine excess. Again, this is a single case with no treatment data beyond the observation that the presentation was unusual.
A 2015 study notes that approximately 5–6.5% of adrenal incidentalomas are pheochromocytomas, and that 8% of patients with a pheochromocytoma are completely asymptomatic. It presents a case of a 49-year-old patient with hypertension caused by a biochemically silent pheochromocytoma, warning that such non-functional tumours can be dangerous if misdiagnosed. The paper provides no survival or response data, and the sample is a single patient.
No randomised trials, no drug interventions, and no survival statistics are reported in any of these abstracts. What is missing is any prospective study of treatment outcomes, any biomarker that reliably distinguishes functional from silent tumours before surgery, and any trial design that addresses the heterogeneity of presentation — particularly the rare secretory variants and the truly asymptomatic cases. Without larger, systematically collected case series or registries, the natural history and optimal management of these rare presentations remain unknown.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
Indian Journal of Urology · 2010 · 11 citations · open access
AbstractWe report a rare case of pheochromocytoma of the adrenal gland presenting as Cushing syndrome. A 30 year old woman presented with pain in the left loin and classical Cushingoid features. She was a diabetic and hypertensive on treatment. Magnetic resonance imaging of the abdomen revealed a 3.5×3 cm mass in the left adrenal gland. Urine analysis revealed an elevated 24 hr urinary cortisol level. Clinical diagnosis was Cushing syndrome due to functioning left adrenal tumor, and hence left adrenalectomy was performed laparoscopically. Histopathological examination revealed adrenal pheochromocytoma. Immunohistochemical analysis of the tumor was positive for adrenocorticotrophic hormone and chromogranin.
Baylor University Medical Center Proceedings · 2022 · 2 citations · open access
Pheochromocytoma with fever and iron deficiency anemia
AbstractPheochromocytoma is a rare neuroendocrine tumor of the adrenal gland. With its heterogeneous clinical presentation, its diagnosis is frequently elusive. This case focuses on an unusual presentation of pheochromocytoma without the typical picture of hypertension, palpitations, and headaches. A few similar reports suggest a role of interleukin-6 production by the tumor in this presentation, indicating that not all symptoms and signs of the disease are due to catecholamine secretion.
Arterial Hypertension · 2015 · 2 citations · open access
Biochemically silent pheochromocytoma — rare, but not uncommon. Case study
AbstractApproximately 5-6.5% of adrenal incidentalomas are pheochromocytomas, and 8% of the patients with a pheochromocytoma are completely asymptomatic.Marker-negative pheochromocytomas represent a small group of rare tumours, yet rarely reported in the current medical literature.In the current study presents a case of 49-year old patient with hypertension, caused by biochemically silent pheochromocytoma and the potential medical complications, which can be particularly dangerous in cases of misdiagnosed, non-functional tumours.
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.
