DeCure's autonomous Cancer AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for malignant germ cell tumor of ovary — screening already-approved drugs against its 1-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleMalignant germ cell tumor of ovary maps to a 1-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 germ cell tumor of ovary 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
Cbl proto-oncogene (CBL) — CBL 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 apo structuredrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 5HKX · 1.85 Å · ligand none (apo structure). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
In a case series of 106 patients with malignant germ cell tumours of the ovary seen between 1975 and 1995, 86 were followed for a median of 122 months. Fertility-preserving surgery was performed in 64 patients; of the 38 who attempted conception, 29 achieved at least one pregnancy (76%). Among those who conceived, 20 were FIGO stage I, one was stage II, and eight were stage III. Sixteen received vincristine, actinomycin D, and cyclophosphamide; three received cisplatin, vinblastine, and bleomycin; three received bleomycin, etoposide, and cisplatin; one received etoposide and cisplatin; four received no chemotherapy; and two received other combinations. Of the nine patients who could not conceive, seven were stage I and two were stage III. A total of 38 children were born, and 16 children with follow-up had no evidence of congenital anomalies. A separate 2017 case report describes a 23-year-old woman with stage IIIc malignant ovarian germ cell tumour treated by left adnexectomy and omentectomy followed by chemotherapy; at 15-year follow-up there was no relapse and she completed three full-term natural pregnancies.
A five-year retrospective study from a tertiary care hospital identified only 5 cases of malignant mixed ovarian germ cell tumours among 1080 ovarian cancer patients (9.2%), with a mean age of 17.4 years. Fertility preservation surgery was performed in 3 of the 5 cases. The authors state that incidence rates, surgical approach, and chemotherapy response were similar to those reported in Western literature. Another single-centre study over 8 years reported 63 patients with ovarian germ cell tumours; 20 were malignant. Among those 20, 7 were stage III, 7 received BEP chemotherapy (bleomycin, etoposide, cisplatin) for 4 cycles, and no recurrences or deaths were noted at last follow-up, though 3 patients were lost to follow-up.
A 2023 paper notes that malignant germ cell tumours of the ovary represent 2.6% of all malignant ovarian tumours, and that determining prognosis is complex. It mentions AgNOR staining as one method used to assess proliferative activity in immature teratomas, but provides no clinical outcome data from that technique. The overall evidence remains limited by small sample sizes, retrospective design, and the rarity of the disease, especially in advanced stages. No prospective trials comparing fertility-sparing approaches to radical surgery exist, and no data on long-term oncological outcomes beyond 15 years are available for advanced-stage patients. The lack of a meta-analysis of published advanced-stage cases is explicitly noted in the 2017 report.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
Obstetrics and Gynecology · 2003 · 204 citations
Reproductive function after conservative surgery and chemotherapy for malignant germ celltumors of the ovary
AbstractOBJECTIVE: To analyze the long-term effects on reproductive function of fertility-preserving treatment for malignant germ cell tumors of the ovary. METHODS: A case series analysis was performed on patients with malignant germ cell tumors of the ovary seen or consulted on at our institution between 1975 and 1995. Follow-up information regarding reproductive function was obtained by a mailed or telephone questionnaire. RESULTS: A total of 106 patients with malignant germ cell tumors of the ovary were included in the study. Twenty patients were excluded because of loss of follow-up or death. For the remaining 86 patients, the median follow-up was 122 months (24-384 months). Fertility-preserving surgery was performed in 64 patients. Thirty-eight have attempted conception and 29 have achieved at least one pregnancy (76%). Among the patients who conceived, 20 were International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage I, one was stage II, and eight were stage III. Sixteen received vincristine, actinomycin D, and cyclophosphamide; three received cisplatin, vinblastine, and bleomycin; three received bleomycin, etoposide, and cisplatin; one received etoposide and cisplatin; four did not receive any chemotherapy; and two were treated with other combinations. Among the nine patients who could not conceive, seven were FIGO stage I and two were stage III. Four of these patients received vincristine, actinomycin D, and cyclophosphamide; three received etoposide and cisplatin; one received cisplatin, vinblastine, and bleomycin; and one patient received no chemotherapy. A total of 38 children were born to these women. Follow-up was available for 16 of these children, who have no evidence of congenital anomalies. CONCLUSION: Fertility-preserving surgery followed by chemotherapy, even in advanced-stage malignant germ cell tumors of the ovary, is effective in conserving the reproductive function of women with malignant germ cell tumors of the ovary.
Journal of Medical Case Reports · 2017 · 10 citations · open access
Fertility-sparing surgery in advanced stage malignant ovarian germ cell tumor: a case report
AbstractBACKGROUND: Malignant ovarian germ cell tumor is a rare type of disease, which generally has a good prognosis due to the high chemosensitivity of this type of tumor. Fertility preservation is an important issue because malignant ovarian germ cell tumor commonly affects young women. Although conservation is the standard for early stage, it becomes more debatable as the disease progresses to more advanced stages. AIM: Report the case of a patient with an International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics Stage IIIc malignant ovarian germ cell tumor, who had conservative surgery and chemotherapy with a good fertility outcome. CASE PRESENTATION: A 23-year-old North African woman with a left malignant ovarian germ cell tumor stage IIIc was treated by left adnexectomy and omentectomy followed by chemotherapy. A 15-year follow-up showed no signs of relapse, and she completed three full-term natural pregnancies. CONCLUSIONS: Malignant ovarian germ cell tumor is a rare ovarian tumor with a good prognosis. It is usually associated with a good fertility outcome in early stages. However, due to the rarity of the disease in advanced stages, the fertility outcome for this group of patients is not clear. This lack of data surrounding advanced stages points to the need for a meta-analysis of all published cases.
GEORGIAN SCIENTISTS · 2023 · 4 citations · open access
Assessment of proliferative activity of immature ovarian teratomas using AgNOR technology
AbstractGerm cell tumors arise from the covering stem cells on the surface of the embryonic ovary. They make up 20-30% of all types of ovarian tumors. About 95% are benign and present as mature cystic teratoma, and only 5% are malignant. Malignant germ cell tumors of the ovary represent 2.6% of all malignant tumors of the ovary, in contrast to epithelial tumors of the ovary (95%). A high incidence of ovarian malignant germ cell tumors is observed in the first two decades of life. Determining the prognosis of germ cell tumors of the ovary is a complex and problematic issue, and according to the existing literature, various methods are used to determine a more accurate classification of cases. One of them can be used AgNOR staining, which is called one of the means of proliferation assessment in the case of different tumors, as well as in the differentiation of dysplasias and benign and malignant processes. According to our research, it is used to evaluate proliferative activity during different histological differentiation of immature teratomas.
Clinical Obstetrics Gynecology and Reproductive Medicine · 2020 · 1 citations · open access
Incidence of malignant mixed ovarian germ cell tumours in a tertiary care hospital: A five year retrospective study
AbstractMalignant mixed ovarian germ cell tumours, typically present in the teenage years, are a rare group of rapidly growing and highly aggressive neoplasms that are derived from the primitive germ cells of the embryonal gonad representing 5% of all malignant ovarian germ cell tumours. The objective of this study was to analyze the incidence of these tumours in our reference hospital and compare the results with those reported in the literature. We analyzed all cases of ovarian tumours during the period from January 2015 to December 2019 and malignant mixed germ cell tumours were selected for analysis. Only 5 cases (9.2%) were histologically diagnosed among 1080 patients with ovarian cancer diagnosis; the mean age of presentation was 17.4 years, abdominal pain was the most common symptom, fertility preservation surgery was practiced in the majority of cases (n=3/5). According to our findings, the incidence rates, surgical approach and chemotherapy responds are very similar to the rates reported in the Western literature.
Asian Journal of Oncology · 2016 · 0 citations · open access
Single centre experience of ovarian germ cell tumours over 8 years
AbstractIntroduction: Germ cell tumours comprise approximately 15-20% of all ovarian tumours. Two third of ovarian tumours in first two decades of life are germ cell tumours. Majority of ovarian germ cell tumours are benign teratomas. The malignant germ cell tumours are usually solid and arise from totipotent germ cells. Over the past 3 decades the clinical outcome of women with ovarian germ cell tumours (OGCT) have significantly improved mainly due to development of more effective chemotherapy regimens. Objective: To study the clinic pathological features, treatment and survival of women with ovarian germ cell tumours. Methods: This is a retrospective descriptive study taken from the case files of patients with histo-pathologically proven ovarian germ cell tumours who were treated in JIPMER over 8 years from 2007 to 2014. Results: There were totally 63 patients with ovarian germ cell tumours over 8 years who were treated in JIPMER. The age at presentation varies from 12 years to 65 years with a median age of 26.5 years. Three were pre pubertal and 1 was post-menopausal. Twenty two women (34%) were unmarried and 5 were pregnant at the time of presentation. Forty eight (76%) of them did not have any menstrual abnormalities. Pain abdomen (55%) was the most common presentation. Ten of them presented with acute abdomen of which 8 were torsion, 1 was ruptured dermoid and 1 was infected dermoid. Another 6 patients had torsion which was diagnosed only during surgery. Majority (68%) were benign tumours (dermoid) and among malignant tumours, there were 6 dysgerminomas, 5 immature teratomas, 5 mixed germ cell tumours and 4 yolk sac tumours. Almost half (22 out of 43) of women with benign tumours were <25 years whereas 3/4th (14 out of 20) of women with malignant germ cell tumours were <25 years. The most common tumour marker which was elevated was alpha feto protein (8) followed by LDH (5). Fertility sparing surgery (salpingo-ovariotomy) was commonly performed which was 95% (41/43) in benign tumours and 60% (8/20) in malignant tumours. Contra lateral ovary was biopsied in only 5 patients with suspected involvement (negative on final HPR). Out of 20 women with malignant ovarian tumours 7 were in advanced stage (Stage III). Majority of them recovered well from surgery, only 12% had post-operative febrile morbidity and one patient had subclavian vein thrombosis on post op D9 which required anticoagulants. 7 of 20 women received chemotherapy (BEP) for 4 cycles. No serious side effects of chemotherapy were noted in these women. 3 out of 20 women with malignant germ cell tumour were lost to follow up. No recurrences have been found in rest of the women and there are no deaths till last follow up. Conclusion: Advances in the field of medicine like effective chemotherapy regimens, improved imaging, precise surgical staging and fertility sparing surgical procedures enable women not only to preserve the reproductive function but also to improve their quality of life.
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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