DeCure's autonomous Cancer AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for Sarcomatoid Carcinoma — screening already-approved drugs against its 24-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleSarcomatoid Carcinoma maps to a 24-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
Structures already discussed alongside sarcomatoid carcinoma in the retrieved literature, rendered from public PubChem SMILES. Which drugs appear here reflects the evidence found, not a ranked prediction.
Molecular view
Structure of L1196M Mutant Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase — Crizotinib has a real, experimentally solved structure in complex with this target (PDB 2YFX, 1.7 Å). This is the drug's own deposited structure, not a prediction, and confirms it is a structurally characterised molecule rather than an untested guess.
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helix sheet vghdrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 2YFX · 1.7 Å · ligand Crizotinib (VGH). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
A 2017 case report describes a 51-year-old woman with sarcomatoid carcinoma of the distal common bile duct who underwent Whipple’s operation and three cycles of post-surgery chemotherapy. She was event-free for three years after surgery. The authors suggest a relatively better prognosis despite the tumour’s infiltrative pattern, but this is a single case.
A 2014 case series tested ten patients with sarcomatoid carcinoma of the head and neck for anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) translocation by fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH). Two of the ten were positive. One 34-year-old woman with relapsed refractory disease and a positive ALK FISH result received crizotinib. She had clinical improvement and stable disease lasting four months. The authors encourage ALK FISH testing in this disease but provide no data on the other positive patient or on any negative patients who might have received crizotinib.
A 2018 report describes a 65-year-old male smoker with sarcomatoid lung carcinoma, noting that most cases present with advanced disease and metastasis, and that the tumour is an aggressive form of non-small cell lung cancer. No treatment or outcome data are given. A 2022 case report of mandibular sarcomatoid carcinoma in a 34-year-old woman describes treatment with radical surgery, re-excision for positive margins, adjuvant radiation (66 Gy in 33 fractions with volumetric modulated arc therapy), and cisplatin-based concurrent chemotherapy. The tumour recurred and produced extensive lung metastasis. The authors state that outcome and prognosis might be poor despite radical surgery and adjuvant chemoradiation.
No prospective trial has been conducted. There is no evidence from controlled studies to guide treatment. What is missing is funding for multi-centre trials, a standardised molecular profiling approach (ALK FISH was tested in only ten patients), and any reliable method to stratify patients by tumour site or biomarker status before treatment.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
Medicine · 2017 · 18 citations · open access
Sarcomatoid carcinoma of the common bile duct
AbstractRATIONALE: Sarcomatoid carcinoma is an extremely rare lesion in the common bile duct (CBD). PATIENT CONCERNS: We present a case of sarcomatoid carcinoma of the distal CBD in a 51-year-old woman who presented with jaundice and abdominal pain. Whipple's operation was performed successfully. Microscopically, the tumor was a poorly differentiated carcinoma containing a component of sarcoma-like differentiation. The tumor cells displayed spindle-shaped nuclei with occasional mitotic figures. Cytokeratin (CK) 7, CK19, CK18, and pan-CK (AE1/AE3) staining was positive on immunohistochemistry. Vimentin and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) staining were also positive. DIAGNOSES: Sarcomatoid carcinoma of the distal CBD. INTERVENTIONS: The patient received three cycles of chemotherapy after surgery. OUTCOMES: The patient has experienced no adverse events in the 3 years post-surgery. LESSONS: We present here a case report of sarcomatoid carcinoma of the distal CBD. The patient received chemotherapy after surgery, and was event-free for 3 years post-surgery, suggesting a relatively better prognosis, despite the infiltrative pattern of the tumor.
Presence of anaplastic lymphoma kinase translocation in sarcomatoid carcinoma of head and neck and treatment effect of crizotinib: A case series
AbstractBACKGROUND: Sarcomatoid carcinoma of the upper aerodigestive tract, a variant of squamous cell carcinoma, is a rare biphasic tumor consisting of epithelial and mesenchymal components. METHODS AND RESULTS: We report a case of 34-year-old woman with a relapsed refractory sarcomatoid carcinoma in the maxillary sinus. Because anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) translocation is common in sarcoma, ALK fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) was performed and the result was positive. After crizotinib was administered, clinical improvement and stable disease lasted for 4 months. To identify the incidence of ALK rearrangement in this disease entity, ALK FISH was performed on tumor samples of 10 patients. Among them, 2 patients were positive. CONCLUSION: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case report demonstrating the clinical benefit of crizotinib in sarcomatoid carcinoma of the head and neck with ALK translocation. Our results suggest that the ALK FISH test may be suitable and encouraged for patients with sarcomatoid carcinoma of the head and neck.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL AND DIAGNOSTIC RESEARCH · 2018 · 0 citations · open access
Sarcomatoid Lung Carcinoma-A Rare Entity
AbstractSarcomatoid Carcinoma (SARC) of lung is an uncommon poorly differentiated variant of lung cancer. It is biphasic neoplasm and combination of malignant epithelial and mesenchymal cells. Most of the cases are associated with advanced disease and metastasis. It is aggressive form of non small cell lung cancer. Here we report a case of sarcomatoid lung cancer in 65-year-old smoker male.
Journal of Cancer Therapy · 2022 · 0 citations · open access
Sarcomatoid Carcinoma of the Mandible: A Case Report and Literature Review
AbstractBackground: Sarcomatoid carcinoma is a rare biphasic malignancy with an epithelial and mesenchymal component. Given its histological particularity, the diagnosis of this tumor still represents a challenge for pathologists and surgeons. Sarcomatoid carcinoma of the mandible is a very rare and aggressive entity. To date, only sporadic cases have been reported in the literature. Aim: To report a rare case of aggressive mandibular sarcomatoid carcinoma treated with radical surgery and adjuvant chemoradiation, and discuss the related literature. Case Report: We introduce a rare case of mandibular sarcomatoid carcinoma occurring in a 34-year-old woman. Treatment consisted of radical surgery and re-excision for positive margins, adjuvant radiation therapy (66 Gy in 33 fractions in simultaneous integrated boost delivered using Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy) and Cisplatin-based concurrent chemotherapy. The tumor displayed aggressive behavior and high metastatic potential, causing tumour recurrence and extensive lung metastasis. Conclusion: Sarcomatoid carcinoma of the mandible is an extremely rare malignant entity, with a high tendency for local recurrence, distant metastasis. Treatment involves radical surgery and adjuvant chemoradiation, although the outcome and prognosis might be poor.
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.
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