DeCure's autonomous Cancer AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for mucinous carcinoma — 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 moduleMucinous carcinoma 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 mucinous 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
KRas proto-oncogene, GTPase (KRAS) — KRAS 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 gnpdrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 7VVB · 1.7 Å · ligand PHOSPHOAMINOPHOSPHONIC ACID-GUANYLATE ESTER (GNP). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
Mucinous carcinoma of the skin is a rare tumour that typically presents as a painless nodule, cyst, or ulcer on the head or neck, especially the eyelid. Two cases from 1988 describe a low metastatic potential but a tendency for local recurrence. Mohs micrographic surgery was reported as an effective treatment in those two patients.
A 2009 retrospective review of 264 patients with pure mucinous breast carcinoma, with a median follow-up of 168 months, found overall survival rates of 95% at 5 years, 88% at 10 years, and 83% at 15 years. Distant metastasis-free survival was 97%, 95%, and 92% at the same intervals. Local-regional control rates were 97%, 94%, and 85%. No statistically significant difference in overall survival or distant metastasis-free survival was seen between patients who received whole breast radiotherapy and those who did not, though a trend toward improved local-regional control with radiotherapy approached significance (p=0.06). The same study reported that 38% of patients had occult multifocal or multicentric disease discovered only after surgical resection, despite negative mammography and ultrasonography.
A 2020 cohort study using Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results data evaluated the efficacy of chemotherapy for mucinous carcinoma. The abstract does not report survival or response rates for the chemotherapy group, nor does it state whether chemotherapy improved outcomes. The full results are contained in a supplemental file that was not provided.
What remains missing is a prospective trial that stratifies patients by the presence of occult multifocality, and any randomised evidence that chemotherapy offers a survival benefit in mucinous carcinoma. The 2009 data rely on retrospective review from a single institution over four decades, and the 2020 study’s conclusions cannot be assessed without its supplemental material. Funding for a multicentre trial designed to test whether whole breast radiotherapy or systemic therapy improves outcomes in this histology has not been reported.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
The Journal of Dermatologic Surgery and Oncology · 1988 · 62 citations
Primary Mucinous Carcinoma
AbstractPrimary mucinous carcinoma of the skin is a rare entity. It usually presents as a painless nodule, cyst, or ulcer in the head and neck region (especially the eyelid). These tumors have a low metastatic potential but tend to recur locally. Histologically, groups of light- and dark-staining epithelial cells form cords, nests, and ducts separated by clear areas representing sialomucin. Due to tumor continuity and a low rate of lymphatic or hematologic spread, Mohs micrographic surgery appears to be an effective treatment. Herein, two cases of primary mucinous carcinoma are presented.
Mucinous Breast Carcinoma: Occult Multifocality/Multicentricity in a Favorable Disease.
AbstractAbstract Purpose: Mucinous carcinoma is a distinctive tumor that reportedly has a very favorable prognosis. Accordingly, investigators have recommended that patients be treated with minimal effective therapy rather than maximum tolerated treatment. However, previous reports have been limited by small sample sizes and very short follow-up intervals. We have previously reported outcomes for a mature data set with long term follow-up and now perform the current analysis to emphasize comprehensive multidisciplinary management in an era of minimal effective therapy for so-called favorable disease.Methods and Materials: We retrospectively reviewed charts for 264 patients with a pure mucinous carcinoma diagnosis at our institution from 1965-2005. Multidisciplinary management is emphasized for all patients at our institution including this patient cohort. All pathology was centrally reviewed. Overall survival, DM-free survival, and local-regional control were compared using Kaplan Meier method and log rank statistics.Results: Median age was 57 years (range 25-89). Median follow-up was 168 months. 86% of patients were stage T2 or less. Patients who were lymph node negative compared with 1-3 LN+, or 4 or more LN+ were 80%, 15%, and 5% respectively. 44% received BCT while the remainder underwent mastectomy. 51% of all patients received XRT. No patient in this cohort received partial breast irradiation. 10% of patients had an initial multicentric/multifocal presentation. However, a detailed pathology review revealed a 38% multifocal/multicentric disease rate after surgical resection. The occult tumors were not initially detected by mammography or ultrasonography.5, 10, and 15 year OS, DMFS, and LRC rates for all patients were: 95%/88%/83%; 97%/95%/92%; and 97%/94%/85% respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in OS, DMFS, or LRC based upon surgical management by mastectomy in comparison with BCT. Likewise, there was no statistically significant improvement in OS or DMFS with utilization of whole breast XRT. There was, however, a trend for improved LRC in patients who received XRT (p=0.06) in comparison with patients who underwent mastectomy or BCT without XRT.Conclusions: This large series of patients diagnosed with pure mucinous breast carcinoma demonstrates potentially favorable prognosis. However, this is the first known report of an association with significant occult multicentricity/multifocality. In an era of minimal effective cancer therapy which includes no additional treatment post resection in favorable histology, and partial breast XRT in favorable histology, multidisciplinary management inclusive of pathology and diagnostic imaging is recommended. Current treatment guidelines should reflect that before omitting whole breast XRT, patients should have pathologic and radiologic intraoperative correlation and MRI should be a consideration in efforts to identify potential occult disease. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2009;69(24 Suppl):Abstract nr 4117.
Sage Journals Data · 2020 · 0 citations · open access
sj-pdf-1-tam-10.1177_1758835920975603 – Supplemental material for Evaluation of efficacy of chemotherapy for mucinous carcinoma: a surveillance, epidemiology, and end results cohort study
AbstractSupplemental material, sj-pdf-1-tam-10.1177_1758835920975603 for Evaluation of efficacy of chemotherapy for mucinous carcinoma: a surveillance, epidemiology, and end results cohort study by Hanwen Zhang, Ning Zhang, Yaming Li, Yiran Liang and Qifeng Yang in Therapeutic Advances in Medical Oncology
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.
