DeCure's autonomous Cancer AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for Parotid Gland Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma — screening already-approved drugs against its 48-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleParotid Gland Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma maps to a 48-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 parotid gland adenoid cystic 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
NRAS proto-oncogene, GTPase (NRAS) — NRAS 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 gdpdrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 6ZIO · 1.55 Å · ligand GUANOSINE-5'-DIPHOSPHATE (GDP). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
A 1983 case report described a patient with widely metastatic adenoid cystic carcinoma of the parotid gland who achieved a complete regression of pleural, pulmonary parenchymal, cutaneous, and bone metastases after treatment with 5-fluorouracil, Adriamycin, and mitomycin C. The authors noted this was the second complete response to chemotherapy ever reported for metastatic adenoid cystic carcinoma of salivary gland origin, and that both complete responses and several partial responses had followed treatment with Adriamycin alone, suggesting that drug was active in the disease. The report is a single case, not a controlled trial.
A 2017 retrospective chart review of 18 cases of parotid adenoid cystic carcinoma seen between 1999 and 2016 found that 83% of patients complained of pain or tenderness associated with histological perineural spread. Advanced T stage and solid-type histopathology were associated with worse survival. Seventeen patients underwent surgery with or without postoperative radiotherapy; one patient received chemotherapy and radiation. The 5- and 10-year disease-specific survival rates were 78% and 47%, respectively, and the 5- and 10-year disease-free survival rates were 52% and 27%. In three patients, surgery was performed under a tentative diagnosis of benign parotid tumour, indicating diagnostic difficulty.
A 1992 case report described a 65-year-old man with simultaneous adenoid cystic carcinoma in both parotid glands — two tumours in the left gland and two in the right. The initial histopathological diagnosis was pleomorphic adenoma, later corrected to adenoid cystic carcinoma. The authors stated this was the first report of multiple adenoid cystic carcinomas occurring in bilateral parotid glands. No treatment outcomes or survival data were provided.
What is still missing is prospective data on chemotherapy regimens beyond single case reports, a standardised approach to distinguishing adenoid cystic carcinoma from benign tumours preoperatively, and any trial that stratifies patients by histologic subtype or perineural invasion to test whether drug responses can be predicted. No randomised or even large cohort study has established a reliable systemic therapy for metastatic disease.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
Cancer · 1983 · 57 citations · open access
Adenoid cystic carcinoma of the salivary gland: Sustained complete response to chemotherapy
AbstractA patient developed widely metastatic adenoid cystic carcinoma of the parotid gland after several local recurrences. A complete regression of pleural, pulmonary parenchymal, cutaneous, and bone metastases was seen following therapy with 5-fluorouracil, Adriamycin, and mitomycin C. This is the second complete response to chemotherapy reported for a patient with metastatic adenoid cystic carcinoma of salivary gland origin. Both complete responses and several partial responses have followed treatment with Adriamycin, suggesting that this drug is active in the disease.
A Study on 18 Cases of Parotid Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma
AbstractAdenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) of the head and neck is one of the most frequently encountered malignancies of the salivary gland, accounting for 10–20% of all salivary gland malignancies. Data of the 18 cases of ACC of the parotid gland seen at our institution between 1999 and 2016 were collected through a medical chart review and analyzed. Of all the patients, 83% complained of pain or tenderness in the parotid region associated with histological perineural spread of the tumor. Fine-needle aspiration cytology and ultrasound scan/MRI had been performed for all patients. However, in three of the patients, surgery was performed under the tentative diagnosis of a benign parotid tumor. Advanced T stage and the solid-type of tumor histopathology were associated with a worse survival. Seventeen patients underwent surgery with or without postoperative radiotherapy. One patient receive chemotherapy and radiation. The 5- and 10-year disease-specific and disease-free survival rates were 78% and 47% and 52% and 27%, respectively.
JOURNAL OF JAPAN SOCIETY FOR HEAD AND NECK SURGERY · 1992 · 0 citations · open access
A Case of Simultaneous Occurence of Two Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma in Bilateral Parotid Glands
AbstractA case of simultaneous occurence of two adenoid cystic carcinoma in bilateral parotid glands was reported. The patient was a sixty-five-year-old male complaining of foreign body sensa tion of his neck. In the left parotid gland, there were two tumors : one in the superficial lobe, the other in the deep lobe. Two tumors were also found in the right parotid gland : both in the superficial lobe. Initial histopathological diagnosis of these tumors was pleomorphic adenoma, which was finally corrected as adenoid cystic carcinoma. Several factors for the induction of multiple adenoid cystic carcinomas in parotid gland were discussed. This is the first report of multiple occurence of adenoid cystic carcinoma in bilateral parotid glands.
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.
