DeCure's autonomous Cancer AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for small cell carcinoma — screening already-approved drugs against its 40-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleSmall cell carcinoma maps to a 40-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 small cell 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
notch receptor 2 (NOTCH2) — NOTCH2 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 bgcdrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 5MWB · 1.86 Å · ligand beta-D-glucopyranose (BGC). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
Desmoplastic small round cell tumours and extrapulmonary small cell carcinomas are distinct entities from small cell lung cancer, and the evidence for each is limited by small sample sizes or retrospective design. In five adults with desmoplastic small round cell tumours treated with cisplatin, etoposide, cyclophosphamide, and doxorubicin or epirubicin, four patients with intra-abdominal disease achieved only stability lasting 4 to 9 months; the single persistent complete response occurred in a patient with a paratesticular primary. No salvage treatment was active in the other four patients, who died of progressive disease, and the authors concluded that survival rates remain disappointing despite aggressive treatment.
A retrospective review of 159 patients with extrapulmonary small cell carcinomas from two cancer centres reported a 48% response rate to first-line chemotherapy, 80.5% of which was platinum-based. Median overall survival was 13.4 months for all patients, 7.6 months for those with metastatic disease, and 19.5 months for non-metastatic disease. Liver was the commonest site of relapse, while brain metastases occurred in only 2.5% of patients, leading the authors to recommend against prophylactic cranial irradiation. Primary site influenced prognosis, with gynaecological and head and neck primaries having significantly better survival than gastrointestinal primaries.
For small cell lung cancer, a single-institution Indian series of 181 patients reported that 85% presented with advanced stage and only 66% received systemic chemotherapy. Among 87 evaluable patients, initial response was complete in 4, partial in 57, stable in 20, and progressive in 6. Median progression-free survival was 9.3 months after a median follow-up of 8.8 months. The authors noted a high disease control rate above 75% in evaluable patients but also that 13% of patients were non-smokers. A 2023 review of immunotherapy in non-small cell lung cancer is not directly applicable to small cell carcinoma and offers no data on that histology.
A single case report describes a 34-year-old man with ulcerative colitis and primary rectal small cell carcinoma treated by total proctocolectomy with no recurrence at 18 months postoperatively. No controlled data exist for this presentation. Across these studies, what is missing are prospective trials designed specifically for small cell carcinoma subtypes, adequate funding for rare tumour registries, and validated biomarkers to stratify patients by primary site or molecular profile.
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 · 1996 · 64 citations
Desmoplastic small round cell tumors: results of a four-drug chemotherapy regimen in five adult patients
AbstractBACKGROUND: Desmoplastic small round-cell tumor has been identified as a neoplasm with multidirectional immunohistochemical, and molecular features of this tumor sets it apart as a pathologic entity. The optimal treatment remains to be determined. METHODS: Five adult patients were treated according to a uniform first-line chemotherapy program including cisplatin, etoposide, cyclophosphamide, and either doxorubicin or epirubicin. Chemotherapy was delivered after initial surgery in the four patients with intra-abdominal presentation, and at relapse in the fifth patient who had a paratesticular primary tumor. RESULTS: All 4 patients with intra-abdominal disease experienced stability lasting from 4 to 9 months. Only one objective persistent complete response was observed; this was in the patient with a paratesticular primary. No salvage treatment was active in the other four patients who died of progressive disease. CONCLUSIONS: Our experience to a certain degree of chemosensitivity for desmoplastic small round-cell tumors. Despite aggressive treatments, survival rates remain disappointing. Other therapeutic modalities are needed to improve these results.
Patterns of relapse in extrapulmonary small cell carcinoma: retrospective analysis of outcomes from two cancer centres
AbstractOBJECTIVES: We conducted a retrospective review of patients with extrapulmonary small cell carcinomas (EPSCCs) to explore the distribution, treatments, patterns of relapse and outcomes by primary site. SETTING: We have reviewed the outcomes of one of the largest data sets of consecutive patients with EPSCC identified from two major cancer centres. PARTICIPANTS: Consecutive patients with a histopathological diagnosis of EPSCC from the two institutions were retrospectively identified. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Outcomes were evaluated including stage at presentation, treatments given, sites of relapse, time to distant relapse, progression-free survival and overall survival (OS). RESULTS: From a total 159 patients, 114 received first-line chemotherapy, 80.5% being platinum-based. Response rate was 48%. Commonest primary sites were genitourinary and gynaecological. 44% of patients presented with metastatic disease. 55.9% relapsed with liver the commonest site, whereas only 2.5% developed brain metastases. Median OS was 13.4 months for all patients, 7.6 months and 19.5 months for those with metastatic and non-metastatic disease, respectively. Gynaecological and head and neck patients had significantly better OS compared to gastrointestinal patients. CONCLUSIONS: EPSCCs demonstrate high response rates to chemotherapy and high rates of distant metastases. Primary sites may influence prognosis, and survival is optimal with a radical strategy. Brain metastases are rare and we therefore do not recommend prophylactic cranial irradiation.
The Role of Immunotherapy or Immuno-Chemotherapy in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Comprehensive Review
AbstractMany new treatment modalities for non-small-cell carcinoma (NSCLC) have been described in the last two decades. Surgical resections remain the gold standard for early stages and may be considered for locally advanced tumors. Medical treatment has changed drastically in recent years, especially for advanced stages, for which the development of immunotherapy and molecular targeted therapy significantly increased survival and quality of life. The addition of radical surgical resection following immunotherapy or immuno-chemotherapy is feasible and safe with low surgical-related mortality and morbidity in selected patients with initially unresectable NSCLC. However, data from multiple ongoing trials with overall survival as the primary endpoint should be awaited before this strategy is introduced into the standard of care.
World Journal of Surgical Oncology · 2010 · 9 citations · open access
Small cell carcinoma in ulcerative colitis - new treatment option: a case report
AbstractBACKGROUND: The most common type of carcinoma associated with ulcerative colitis (UC) is adenocarcinoma. We present a case of primary rectal small cell carcinoma in a patient with a history of UC. METHODS: A 34-year-old male diagnosed with UC for 10 years was not consistent with the usual annual follow-up and presented with mucoid-bloody diarrhea. Colonoscopy revealed a rectal mass 2 cm distant from the anal verge. The patient underwent a total proctocolectomy with preservation of the anal sphincters, construction of an ileal reservoir, anastomosis of the reservoir to the anus (J configuration) and protective loop ileostomy. RESULTS: Histological examination showed undifferentiated small cell carcinoma. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first case of small cell carcinoma in a background of UC reported to be treated surgically and the patient and has no recurrence 18 months postoperatively.
Clinicopathological characteristics and treatment outcome in small cell lung cancer: A single institutional experience from India
AbstractBACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) constitutes 14%-20% of all lung cancers. Clinical data on SCLC are scarce in literature. To report clinical features and treatment outcome of SCLC treated at our center. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a single institutional data review of SCLC patients treated between June 2011 and December 2018. Patients were staged as either localized or extensive disease after appropriate staging work-up. Patients with localized disease were treated with concurrent chemoradiation with platinum-based chemotherapy. Those with extensive disease were treated with platinum based palliative chemotherapy. Clinicopathological characteristics, treatment details, and outcome were recorded in this study. Patients who received at least one cycle of chemotherapy were included for survival analysis as intent-to-treat analysis. RESULTS: A total of 181 were patients registered with a median age of 62 years (range: 35-86 years) and male: female ratio of 166:15. Eighty-seven percent (n = 157) of patients had smoking history and 15% (n = 28) of patients had symptom of superior vena cava obstruction at baseline. Twenty-seven (15%) patients had localized disease at presentation. One hundred and twenty (66%) patients took systemic chemotherapy. Chemotherapy regimen was carboplatin only in 9 (7%), etoposide-carboplatin in 54 (45%), and cisplatin-etoposide in 57 (48%). Patients received median cycle number of 6 (range: 1-6). Of the evaluable 87 (73%) patients, initial response was complete response in 4, partial response in 57, stable disease in 20, and progressive disease in 6. Twenty patients received second-line chemotherapy at time of disease progression. After a median follow-up of 8.8 months (range: 0.3-46.1), median progression-free survival (PFS) of the whole population was 9.3 months. CONCLUSIONS: Small cell carcinoma in our series had a high incidence of advanced stage (85%) and 13% of patients were nonsmoker. Only 66% of patients received palliative chemotherapy and achieved high disease control rate (>75%) in the evaluable patients with median PFS of 9.3 months.
Current Cancer Therapy Reviews · 2015 · 1 citations
The Role of Amitriptyline in the Management of Non-small Cell Lung Cancer
AbstractNon-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for more deaths than any other cancer. Treatments are limited, and prognoses are usually very poor. Amitripyline is a tricyclic antidepressant with multiple effects which may give a variety of benefits to lung cancer patients. Effects on pain, mood, and sleep are of clear potential benefit and are well established, whereas effects on cough and respiratory function are currently under investigation. In addition, potential antitumour effects have yet to be comprehensively tested. Beneficial effects are limited by dose dependent toxicity and adverse effects. Nevertheless, amitriptyline appears to have place in the management of lung cancer and warrants further investigation. Keywords: Amitriptyline, lung cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, NSCLC.
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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