Rare & Orphan Lab · DeCure for X

DeCure for Ovarian Dysgerminoma

DeCure's autonomous Rare AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for Ovarian Dysgerminoma — screening already-approved drugs against its 6-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.

Disease module6 genesLead labRare & Orphan
All cures
Rare & OrphanDOID:5511$DeCureRare

The disease map

Disease moduleOvarian Dysgerminoma maps to a 6-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 ovarian dysgerminoma 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

Twenty-six patients with pure ovarian dysgerminoma treated with bleomycin, etoposide, and cisplatin (BEP) between 1984 and 1998 at a single centre had a median age of 19.5 years. At a median follow-up of 89 months, 25 of 26 (96%) remained continuously disease-free; one patient developed a second primary dysgerminoma in the remaining ovary after BEP and was disease-free after further treatment. Of 14 evaluable patients who had fertility-sparing surgery, 10 (71%) maintained normal menstrual function during and after chemotherapy, and 13 (93%) had returned to their prechemotherapy menstrual pattern at the time of questionnaire. Five pregnancies occurred, and two patients reported difficulty conceiving.

A separate retrospective study of 44 histologically confirmed pure ovarian dysgerminoma cases treated between 2006 and 2017 reported that 60.6% presented with stage I, 9.09% with stage II, 27.27% with stage III, and 3.03% with stage IV disease. Initial management was surgery followed by observation in 9 patients (20.45%), surgery followed by adjuvant chemotherapy in 25 (56.81%), and neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by interval debulking surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy in 9 (20.45%). Recurrence occurred in one patient (2.32%) with stage III disease 17 months after chemotherapy, successfully salvaged with platinum-containing chemotherapy. The 3-year disease-free survival was 93.18% and overall survival was 95.45%. Of 35 patients who had fertility-sparing surgery, 30 (85.7%) regained regular menstrual cycles, and all three prepubertal girls attained menarche. Thirteen patients attempted conception and 6 (46.15%) delivered after treatment.

An older case report from 1964 describes a successful pregnancy after conservative surgery and supervoltage radiation therapy for metastatic dysgerminoma, noting that the literature at the time was divided between conservative and radical approaches. A 1985 German-language case report of a dysgerminoma in a 36-year-old woman in the 10th week of gestation describes hysterectomy, bilateral adnexectomy, and omentectomy followed by pelvic and para-aortic radiation, stating that the patient's safety should rank higher than the pregnancy itself.

What remains missing is prospective data comparing different chemotherapy regimens and durations, standardised protocols for neoadjuvant chemotherapy in advanced stages, and long-term fertility outcomes beyond small retrospective series. No randomised trials have been conducted, and the optimal balance between treatment intensity and preservation of ovarian function is not established by the available evidence.

Evidence

Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.

Journal of Clinical Oncology · 1999 · 173 citations

Outcome and Reproductive Function After Chemotherapy for Ovarian Dysgerminoma

AbstractPURPOSE: To review the outcome for all patients with ovarian dysgerminoma treated at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center who received bleomycin, etoposide, and cisplatin (BEP) and to assess the menstrual and reproductive function of those who received conservative treatment. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Clinical information was abstracted from the medical record. Patients completed a detailed questionnaire about menstrual and reproductive function; those who did not return the questionnaire were interviewed by telephone. RESULTS: Twenty-six patients were identified as having been treated with BEP chemotherapy for pure ovarian dysgerminoma from January 1984 to January 1998. Their median age was 19.5 years (range, 7 to 32 years). Sixteen patients underwent fertility-sparing surgery in the form of unilateral salpingo-oophorectomy. At a median follow-up time of 89 months, 25 (96%) of the 26 patients remained continuously disease-free. One patient apparently developed a second primary dysgerminoma in her remaining ovary after BEP and was clinically disease-free after further treatment. Of the 16 patients who underwent fertility-sparing surgery, one was lost to follow-up when she was pregnant, and one was still premenarchal. Of the remaining 14 patients, 10 (71%) maintained their normal menstrual function during and after chemotherapy, and 13 (93%) had returned to their prechemotherapy menstrual pattern at the time of the questionnaire. Five pregnancies have occurred thus far, and two patients have had difficulty conceiving. CONCLUSION: Most patients with metastatic dysgerminoma can expect cure with maintenance of normal reproductive function when treated with conservative surgery and BEP chemotherapy.

https://doi.org/10.1200/jco.1999.17.9.2670
New England Journal of Medicine · 1964 · 6 citations

Successful Pregnancy after Surgery and Supervoltage Radiation Therapy for Metastatic Dysgerminoma

AbstractA REVIEW of the recent literature indicates that continued controversy exists concerning the best mode of therapy for the patient with ovarian dysgerminoma. The conservative approach is strongly supported by the excellent results cited by Brody1 in a large series of cases treated at the Radiumhemmet. Conversely, Pedowitz et al.2 , 3 who have analyzed cases from diverse institutions, tend to favor radical therapy, with subsequent loss of reproductive capacity. Reports of successful pregnancy after conservative surgery, with or without supple-mental radiation treatment for localized dysgerminoma, have previously been reported.1 , 4 5 6 In the case reported below, metastases to the para-aortic lymph nodes were . . .

https://doi.org/10.1056/nejm196407162710309
Geburtshilfe und Frauenheilkunde · 1985 · 2 citations

Disgerminom des Ovars in der Schwangerschaft

AbstractA case of dysgerminoma of the ovary in a 36-year-old woman in her 10th week of gestation is reported. Hysterectomy, bilateral adnectomy and omentectomy was performed followed by radiation therapy of the pelvis and paraaortic region. Until now only about 60 cases of ovarian dysgerminoma during pregnancy have been described in literature. The tumour was rarely detected within the first trimester. In these cases the safety of the patient should rank higher than the pregnancy itself.

https://doi.org/10.1055/s-2008-1036655
International Journal of Reproduction Contraception Obstetrics and Gynecology · 2025 · 0 citations · open access

A study of 44 cases of pure dysgerminoma of the ovary: a single institutional experience

AbstractBackground: The extent of surgery and additional therapy required in patients with dysgerminoma is debated. This study evaluated the clinicopathologic characteristics, treatment modalities, long-term survival, and menstrual and fertility outcomes of women with ovarian dysgerminoma managed at our institute. Methods: A total 44 histologically proven pure ovarian dysgerminoma cases were identified in this retrospective study. Patients who received treatment between 2006 and 2017 at Gujarat Cancer and Research Institute, either surgery or chemotherapy, or both were included. Results: About 60.6% of patients presented with stage I, 9.09% with stage II, 27.27% with stage III, and 3.03% with stage IV disease. Initial management was surgery followed by observation in 9 (20.45%), surgery followed by adjuvant chemotherapy in 25 (56.81%), and neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) followed by interval debulking surgery (IDS) and adjuvant chemotherapy in 9 (20.45%) patients. Recurrence occurred in 1 (2.32%) patient with stage III disease after 1 year and 5 months (17 months) post-chemotherapy successfully salvaged with platinum-containing chemotherapy. The 3-year disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were 93.18% and 95.45%, respectively. Thirteen patients attempted conception and 6 (46.15%) delivered after treatment completion. Thirty-five patients underwent fertility-sparing surgery. Out of these, thirty patients (85.7%) got regular menstrual cycles. All three prepubertal girls attained menarche. Conclusions: Regardless of the stage, fertility-sparing surgery can be offered to the patient with good reproductive outcomes expected after fertility-sparing surgery followed by chemotherapy. Adjuvant chemotherapy is associated with significant improvement in DFS. NACT followed by surgery is a reasonable option for patients with advanced-stage dysgerminoma.

https://doi.org/10.18203/2320-1770.ijrcog20250184

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.