DeCure's autonomous Cancer AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for vaginal cancer — screening already-approved drugs against its 12-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleVaginal cancer maps to a 12-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 vaginal 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
CREB binding lysine acetyltransferase (CREBBP) — CREBBP 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 1vudrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 9H0K · 1.75 Å · ligand propionyl Coenzyme A (1VU). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
A 10-year review of 4,885 vaginal cancer cases from the National Cancer Data Base (1985–1994) found that more than 90% were epithelial neoplasia, with about 25% being in situ lesions. Five-year relative survival was stage-dependent: Stage 0, 96%; Stage I, 73%; Stage II, 58%; Stages III–IV, 36%. Melanoma had a 5-year survival of only 14%. Younger patients had better survival (90% versus 30% in older patients). Chemotherapy was used less frequently in older patients. A separate series of 33 locally advanced vulvo-vaginal cancers (1968–1980) treated with combined surgery and radiotherapy reported bladder and/or rectal preservation, low primary mortality, low treatment morbidity, and good cancer control as advantages over exenterative surgery.
A 2018 mouse study found that mice lacking the KLK5 gene developed vaginal tumours when exposed to a chemical carcinogen, with enhanced NF-κB activation and increased resistance to apoptosis of mutated vaginal cells. The authors proposed that KLK5 may be a potential suppressor of vaginal carcinogenesis. A 2020 case report described a single patient with primary signet-ring cell adenocarcinoma of the vagina carrying an S310F somatic ERBB2 mutation; after treatment with an ERBB2 receptor inhibitor, the authors reported a promising response. No larger series or controlled data exist for this targeted approach.
A 2015 review noted that brachytherapy plays a central role in both primary and recurrent vaginal cancer, and that modern 3D techniques have improved outcomes, but it did not provide new survival or response data. The 1982 combined-therapy series did not report separate survival figures for vaginal versus vulvar cases, and the 1998 database report did not include treatment details or outcomes for the small number of patients who received chemotherapy.
What is still missing: prospective trials specific to vaginal cancer, which remains rare and understudied; validated biomarkers to guide targeted therapy beyond single-case reports; and systematic data on chemotherapy efficacy by histology and stage. Patient stratification by molecular subtype, age, and performance status is not yet standard, and funding for dedicated vaginal cancer research remains limited.
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 · 1998 · 262 citations
The national cancer data base report on cancer of the vagina
AbstractBACKGROUND: This study was conducted to determine practice patterns in the management of vaginal malignancy. METHODS: The National Cancer Data Base (NCDB), a large central registry of hospital case data, was reviewed for the 10-year period 1985-1994 for patients registered with a primary diagnosis of vaginal cancer. Patients with a prior history of malignancy were excluded. RESULTS: Between 1985-1994 4885 cases of vaginal cancer were submitted to NCDB. More than 90% were epithelial neoplasia with approximately 25% of these in situ lesions only. Squamous carcinoma was more common as the age of the patient progressed. Adenocarcinomas represented nearly all the carcinomas in the group of patients age < 20 years and were observed less frequently with advanced age. Relative survival at 5 years was stage-related: Stage 0: 96%; Stage I: 73%; Stage II: 58%; and Stages III-IV: 36%. Melanoma had an extremely poor prognosis with a 5-year survival rate of only 14%. A significant number of sarcomas occurred in children for whom chemotherapy played a major role in treatment. Chemotherapy was used less frequently in the older patients. Survival was better in the younger patients (90% vs. 30% in the older patients). CONCLUSIONS: Although vaginal cancer is the rarest of genital malignancies, it appears that treatment and results from the NCDB reported from multiple institutions followed prescribed treatment guidelines.
Combined therapy as an alternative to exenteration for locally advanced vulvo-vaginal cancer:Rationale and results
AbstractLocally advanced vulvo-vaginal cancer is a difficult therapeutic problem complicated by the fact that it is an uncommon clinical entity. Surgery for the vulvar (external genital) phase of this disease presentation was combined with radiotherapy for the internal genital phase (with adequate overlap of fields to protect surgical margins). The rationale is that this approach treats the cancer and its dual regional spread patterns, while at the same time preserves the bladder and/or rectum, and should be associated with less morbidity and mortality than exenterative surgery, especially in this predominantly geriatric patient population. During the period from 1968-1980, 33 cancers have been treated. There were 26 primary and seven recurrent cases. The apparent advantages of this combined therapeutic approach over exenterative surgery include bladder and/or rectal preservation, low primary mortality, low treatment morbidity, and good results in cancer control.
Journal of Contemporary Brachytherapy · 2015 · 22 citations · open access
Brachytherapy for malignancies of the vagina in the 3D era
AbstractVaginal cancer is an uncommon malignancy and can be either recurrent or primary. In both cases, brachytherapy places a central role in the overall treatment course. Recent technological advances have led to more advanced brachytherapy techniques, which in turn have translated to improved outcomes for patients with malignancies of the vagina. The aim of this manuscript is to outline the incorporation of modern brachytherapy into the treatment of patients with vaginal cancer including patient selection along with the role of brachytherapy in conjunction with other treatment modalities, various brachytherapy techniques, treatment planning, dose fractionation schedules, and normal tissue tolerance.
KLK5, a novel potential suppressor of vaginal carcinogenesis
AbstractVaginal cancer is rare and largely unexplored. We found here that kallikrein-related peptidase 5 (KLK5) is coordinately expressed along with other KLKs in all stratified epithelia, including vagina, pointing to potential role(s) in differentiation. Further, we propose that KLK5 could be implicated in vaginal cancer development based on the fact that Klk5-/- mice are prone to develop vaginal tumors when exposed to 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene. Nf-κb activation is markedly enhanced in Klk5-/-, leading to increased resistance to apoptosis of mutated vaginal cells. This explains the higher tumor numbers observed in Klk5-/- compared to wildtype. Thus, KLK5 may represent a putative suppressor of vaginal cancer.
An application of ERBB2 receptor inhibitors in a rare case of S310F somatic ERBB2 mutation of primary signet-ring cell adenocarcinoma of vagina: A case report and review literature of S310F somatic ERBB2 mutation in breast and gynecologic cancers
Abstract•The extremely uncommon subtype of epithelial vaginal cancer.•Comprehensive genomic sequencing of the rare subtype vaginal cancer.•Incorporated of the actionable targeted drugs in the treatment of uncommon cancer based on the comprehensive genomic profile.•A promising response of uncommon disease after the actionable targeted therapy.
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.
