DeCure's autonomous Cancer AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for penile cancer — screening already-approved drugs against its 13-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease modulePenile cancer maps to a 13-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 penile cancer 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
tubulin alpha 1b (TUBA1B) — TUBA1B 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 gtpdrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 6S8L · 1.801 Å · ligand GUANOSINE-5'-TRIPHOSPHATE (GTP). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
Penile cancer is a rare disease, and the literature repeatedly states that its treatment suffers from a paucity of evidence, with few data available from prospective, randomised trials. Risk factors include human papillomavirus infection, phimosis with poor hygiene, chronic balanitis xerotica obliterans, and smoking. Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Program data have revealed a poor outcome among African-American patients compared with Caucasians. Approximately 95% of infiltrating penile cancers are squamous cell carcinomas, one-third of which are related to HPV infection. The main prognostic factor is lymph node involvement.
Surgery remains the standard treatment for local disease. Organ-sparing procedures using laser ablation and reconstructive techniques provide good aesthetic and functional results with acceptable oncologic control, though recurrence rates are higher than with radical penectomy; the locally recurrent cancers are described as highly treatable and patients experience a higher quality of life. For regional disease, radical inguinal lymphadenectomy is recommended for resectable cases, and the sentinel node technique is recommended for evaluating cN0 patients with intermediate- or high-risk tumours. For non-resectable regional disease and metastases, neoadjuvant cisplatin-based chemotherapy is the best option, providing a selection of patients who may become candidates for consolidative surgical therapies.
Despite the use of better traditional systemic chemotherapeutic agents in the neoadjuvant and adjuvant settings, a large group of patients will progress even while on systemic therapy. In those with chemotherapy-refractory disease, some targeted therapies have been investigated, with some patients experiencing partial or even complete responses, but the 2014 review notes that advanced-stage penile cancer still has a high mortality. The 2024 French AFU guidelines state that metastatic forms may be treated with palliative chemotherapy and immunotherapy, but only as part of a clinical trial. What is still missing are multi-institutional treatment trials that can test novel systemic therapies and generate durable responses, as well as the patient stratification and funding needed to make personalised therapy a reality for this rare 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.
Current Opinion in Urology · 2005 · 45 citations
What's new in the management of penile cancer?
AbstractPURPOSE OF REVIEW: Penile cancer is a rare disease. This has led to little in the way of therapeutic advances in the last two decades. Efforts have been made to minimize the use of disfiguring or morbid procedures in treating the primary tumor or managing the inguinal region. In addition, new insights have been gained into multimodal therapy for treating metastatic disease. We reviewed the literature published during the past two years to define the recent insights into the diagnosis and management of penile cancer. RECENT FINDINGS: Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Program data revealed poor outcome among African-American patients compared with Caucasians with penile cancer. Risk factors, including human papilloma virus, HIV, and the practice of circumcision have been reassessed. To improve diagnosis and staging, new modifications in imaging have been developed including magnetic resonance imaging with artificial erection. In addition, the technique of dynamic sentinel node biopsy has been refined. Pathologic features of the primary tumor (i.e., stage, grade, vascular invasion) assist in identifying patients who would benefit from lymphadenectomy. Organ-sparing treatments using laser ablation and reconstructive procedures to preserve glans or phallus length have also been developed. Systemic chemotherapy regimens, including consolidative approaches with surgery or radiotherapy, are discussed for advanced penile cancer. SUMMARY: Penile cancer remains a rare disease. Epidemiologic insights reveal provocative findings with respect to risk factors and racial differences in the outcome. Recent literature provides information that will aid urologists in (1) minimizing the need for disfiguring treatment of penile tumors in some patients and (2) reducing the number of unnecessary inguinal staging procedures in others. Novel systemic therapies that generate durable responses tested in multi-institutional treatment trials are needed.
Translational Andrology and Urology · 2017 · 39 citations · open access
Topical Therapy for non-invasive penile cancer (Tis)—updated results and toxicity
AbstractPenile cancer is a rare malignancy estimated to affect 26,000 men globally each year. The association with penile cancer, in particular non-invasive disease, and human papilloma virus (HPV) is well known. Ninety-five percent of cases of penile cancer are squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), which are staged using the TNM staging system. Terminology describing the histological appearance of non-invasive penile cancer has changed with all cases grouped under the umbrella term of penile intraepithelial neoplasia (PeIN); either undifferentiated or differentiated. This replaces previous terms such as carcinoma in situ (CIS) and eponymous names such as Bowen's disease. This change is recognised by the World Health Organisation (WHO). The topical treatments most commonly used for PeIN are 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and imiquimod (IQ). Other treatments such as photodynamic therapy (PDT) are used but to a lesser degree. The evidence for all of these treatments is heterogenous with no randomised data available. Overall up to 57% complete response has been reported with a low number of serious adverse events. In this article, we aim to review the available evidence for the topical treatment of non-invasive penile cancer specifically regarding its efficacy and toxicity.
Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network · 2013 · 35 citations · open access
New Treatment Guidelines for Penile Cancer
AbstractAlthough relatively rare in Western countries, penile cancer is associated with high morbidity and mortality. To achieve the most favorable outcomes in men with this malignancy, early medical or surgical treatment is required. Few data are available from prospective, randomized trials, and heterogeneous approaches to care have emerged. In this article, Dr. Spiess presents highlights from the inaugural NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines) for penile cancer, focusing primarily on treatment strategies for primary penile lesions and regional lymph nodes. NCCN recommendations regarding surveillance and the management of tumor recurrence and metastatic disease are briefly explored.
AbstractPURPOSE OF REVIEW: To review recent developments in the diagnosis and treatment of penile cancer, we reviewed the medical literature from 1 May 2002 to 1 June 2003 on the incidence, aetiology, staging, diagnosis and treatment of penile cancer by a Medline search. RECENT FINDINGS: The diagnostic tools and treatment modalities for penile cancer are still controversial. Recently developed diagnostic and therapeutic modalities should help urologists in the management of the disease. SUMMARY: Our review of the recent literature provides an update on diagnostic and therapeutic opinion on penile cancer.
Expert Opinion on Drug Discovery · 2014 · 22 citations
Novel targeted therapies for the treatment of penile cancer
AbstractINTRODUCTION: The treatment of penile cancer has changed over the past decade in that it was primarily a surgically managed disease and those with locally advanced or metastatic disease uniformly had a very poor prognosis. However, with the use of better traditional systemic chemotherapeutic agents in the neoadjuvant and adjuvant settings, the disease-specific survival and general outlook has improved. However, there is still a large group of patients who will progress even while on systemic therapy. It is in those patients where the application of targeted therapies has been investigated with some experiencing partial or even complete responses. With the improvement seen in patients with chemotherapy refractory disease, the application of novel targeted agents in the neoadjuvant setting may have a resultant positive impact on patient survival. AREAS COVERED: This review includes research pertaining to targeted therapies, biomarkers and signaling pathways involved with penile cancer. The article was based on a literature search using the keywords 'penile cancer' and 'targeted therapies'. EXPERT OPINION: Penile cancer at the advanced stages of the disease has a high mortality. The utilization of novel targeted therapies in these situations is warranted in combination with, or sequentially with, traditional cytotoxic chemotherapy to improve the patient survival rate. Personalized therapy is nearly here for penile cancer and should be made real within the next decade.
Current Opinion in Supportive and Palliative Care · 2011 · 14 citations
Penile cancer
AbstractPURPOSE OF REVIEW: This article reviews the epidemiology, diagnostic modalities and treatment of localized and advanced penile cancer, with special emphasis on most recent findings from the literature. RECENT FINDINGS: Penile cancer is a rare disease and its treatment suffers from a paucity of evidence in the literature. Risk factors include phimosis with poor hygiene, human papilloma virus infections, chronic balanitis xerotica obliterans and smoking, among others. Surgical treatment for local disease remains the best option, but organ-preserving procedures provide good aesthetic and functional results with acceptable oncologic control. Regional disease, when present in the form of adenopathy, is best diagnosed with fine-needle aspiration, and treated with radical inguinal lymphadenectomy if resectable. Occult metastatic disease constitutes a challenge and is managed according to primary tumour risk factors. For nonresectable regional disease and metastases, neoadjuvant cisplatinum-based regimens are the best option, and provide a selection of patients who will be optimal candidates to consolidative surgical therapies. SUMMARY: Penile cancer at its various stages constitutes a therapeutic challenge. Management should be increasingly confined to high volumes centres of excellence, allowing for clinical trials, which will hopefully provide a better understanding of the disease and the best treatment approach.
Expert Review of Anticancer Therapy · 2010 · 13 citations
Contemporary management of localized penile cancer
AbstractThis article reviews the etiology, clinical presentation and diagnosis of localized penile cancer. We summarize the current literature concerning recent trends and advances in the treatment of localized penile cancer (<T2, node negative [N0]) through the use of a systematic review and meta-analysis. We discuss a generalized overview of the current treatment options. A total of 54 review articles, retrospective studies and case reports on conservative penile treatments were reviewed and screened for data on the efficacy of numerous therapies in carcinoma in situ, T1N0 and T2N0 patients. These data were analyzed, tabulated and discussed. Even though recurrence rates are higher in patients receiving penile-sparing options (compared with patients receiving radical penectomy), the locally recurrent cancers are highly treatable and these patients experience a higher quality of life.
Progrès en Urologie · 2024 · 9 citations · open access
French AFU Cancer Committee Guidelines–Update 2024–2026: Penile cancer
AbstractOBJECTIVE: Update of the recommendations for the management of penile lesions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Comprehensive PubMed review from 2022 of the literature on the diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of penile tumours. The level of evidence of the studies was assessed. RESULTS: A total of 95% of infiltrating penile cancers are squamous cell carcinomas, one-third of which are related to human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. Clinical examination can reveal the size of the lesion, its location, its proximity to the urethral meatus and its infiltration depth. Urinary and sexual function should be assessed. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the gold standard for local assessment. Penile tumours are classified as low-risk (≤pT1a and well-differentiated G1), intermediate-risk (pT1a G2) or high-risk (≥pT1b, G3, or sarcomatoid contingent). Lymph node assessment in penile cancer is fundamental. The sentinel node technique is recommended for the evaluation of cN0 patients with tumours of intermediate risk or higher. 18FDG PET is recommended for cN+ patients. Surgery is the standard treatment locally and depends on the size, location and grade of the tumour. Topical treatment or brachytherapy may be indicated in some cases. Radical inguinal curettage (RIC) is recommended for stages cN1/cN2. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy is recommended for patients with cN3-stage lesions, combined with RIC in responders. Metastatic forms may be treated with palliative chemotherapy and immunotherapy as part of a clinical trial. CONCLUSION: The treatment of penile cancer is essentially surgery, with or without chemotherapy in the case of lymph node involvement. The main prognostic factor is lymph node involvement, which justifies early diagnostic and therapeutic management of the inguinal areas.
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.
