DeCure's autonomous Cancer AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for rectum carcinoma in situ — screening already-approved drugs against its 3-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleRectum carcinoma in situ maps to a 3-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 rectum carcinoma in situ 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
In a ten-year period at the Mayo Clinic, 252 selected patients with carcinoma of the rectum were studied for conservative management. Of 211 patients treated conservatively and followed for eight to 18 years, the procedure was successful in 96.2 per cent of cases and a failure or partial failure in 3.8 per cent. An additional 41 patients for whom conservative treatment was recommended instead underwent radical operation; examination of the surgical specimen showed that 40 of the 41 could have been treated by conservative means based on Dukes' classification. The authors concluded that a conservative approach in certain selected cases is safe and justifiable.
For squamous cell carcinoma of the rectum, a rare malignancy, four patients underwent curative concurrent chemoradiotherapy between 2002 and 2006. Clinical stages were T3N1M0 in one patient, T1N2M0 in two, and T2N0M0 in one. Radiotherapy doses ranged from 5040cGy to 6300cGy, with concurrent capecitabine plus cisplatin or 5-fluorouracil plus cisplatin. A complete clinical response was achieved in all four patients. One patient died of pneumonia two months after treatment without progression of the primary tumour. The remaining three patients were alive with no evidence of disease for 52 to 99 months.
A 2018 review notes that management of carcinoma of the rectum is standardised according to NCCN, ESMO, and ASCO guidelines, but identifies certain advances and practices that remain contentious and require further debate and studies. The review does not provide new trial data or specific survival numbers.
What is still missing are prospective randomised trials comparing conservative management or chemoradiotherapy against standard surgery for early-stage rectal carcinoma, particularly for adenocarcinoma rather than the rare squamous cell subtype. Patient stratification by molecular markers or tumour biology is absent from these reports, and the long-term functional outcomes of non-surgical approaches are not quantified. Funding for such trials and standardised definitions of "conservative" eligibility remain unresolved.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
Diseases of the Colon & Rectum · 1961 · 49 citations
Conservative management of selected patients with carcinoma of the rectum
AbstractSummary In a ten-year period 252 selected patients with carcinoma of the rectum for whom conservative treatment was advocated were studied. Of 211 patients who were treated conservatively and whose condition was followed eight to 18 years, the procedure was successful in 96.2 per cent of cases; it was a failure or a partial failure in 3.8 per cent of cases. Conservative treatment was recommended in an additional 41 patients, but radical operation was performed. Examination of the surgical specimen showed that on the basis of Dukes' classification, 40 of the 41 patients could have been treated by conservative means. Experience at the Mayo Clinic indicates that a conservative approach in certain selected cases of carcinoma of the rectum is safe and justifiable.
Concurrent chemoradiotherapy for squamous cell carcinoma of the rectum.
AbstractBACKGROUND/AIMS: Primary squamous cell carcinoma of the rectum is a rare malignancy. Early reports suggest that the standard treatment is surgery, but clinical outcomes of chemoradiotherapy are more satisfying than those of surgery in recent experience. Our aim was to ascertain the effectiveness of chemoradiotherapy for squamous cell carcinoma of the rectum. METHODOLOGY: Between May 2002 and April 2006, four patients with primary squamous cell carcinoma of the rectum underwent curative concurrent chemoradiotherapy. The clinical stage of the patients was T3N1M0 in one patient, T1N2M0 in two, and T2N0M0 in one. Radiotherapy was administered to the entire pelvis, followed by a boost to the primary tumor. The total dose ranged from 5040cGy to 6300cGy in 180cGy fractions. Curative chemotherapy was concurrently initiated on the first day of pelvic radiotherapy, and a capecitabine plus cisplatin or 5-fluorouracil plus cisplatin regimen was used. RESULTS: A complete clinical response was achieved in all four patients. One patient died of pneumonia 2 months after chemoradiotherapy without progression of the primary tumor. The remaining three patients have been alive with no evidence of disease for 52-99 months. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that chemoradiotherapy is an effective treatment option for squamous cell carcinoma of the rectum.
AbstractCarcinoid of the rectum is a slowly growing potentially malignant tumor, metastasizing in 10% to 15% of cases. As compared with the more common adenocarcinoma of the rectum, carcinoid grows much more slowly and is generally considered to be less malignant. In contrast to the principles of treatment for carcinoma of the rectum, the majority of patients with carcinoid of the rectum are cured by local excision of the tumor. Thus, the differentiation between carcinoid and carcinoma of the rectum becomes important. However, the distinction often is very difficult to make, and this fact has prompted a study of carcinoid of the rectum. This report concerns a review of the literature on rectal carcinoid and a review of the experience with the disease at Cleveland Metropolitan General Hospital. <h3>Historical Background and Incidence.</h3> —Only six cases of carcinoid of the rectum had been reported until 1942.1 The first case, discovered incidentally
Indian Journal of Colo-Rectal Surgery · 2018 · 0 citations · open access
Contentious issues in the management of carcinoma of the rectum
AbstractThe management of Carcinoma of the Rectum is fairly standardized and protocolized, based on universally followed guidelines, including the NCCN, ESMO, and ASCO guidelines. However, there are certain advances and practices recommended which are contentiously requiring further debates and studies. The present study addresses these issues in its right perspective based on literature evidence.
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.
