Oncology Treatment Discovery

Opportunistic CT Screening for Osteoporosis in Postmenopausal Women: Background, Challenges, and Evidence Gaps

Tue, 30 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0800

Postmenopausal women represent the highest-risk population for osteoporosis (OP), with a prevalence exceeding 32.5%. The resultant fragility fractures are associated with devastating disability, mortality, and a substantial socioeconomic burden. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), the diagnostic gold standard, is insufficient for large-scale screening due to limited equipment availability, low screening coverage, and poor awareness. Opportunistic screening using CT attenuation values (Hounsfield Units, HU) from routine scans has emerged as a promising alternative, offering the potential for widespread without additional radiation or cost. However, translating this strategy to the core target population of postmenopausal women reveals three critical evidence gaps: (1) a lack of genetic causal evidence specific to postmenopausal women, making it difficult to establish a definitive link between HU decline and osteoporosis; (2) high heterogeneity in diagnostic studies, with a lack of pooled diagnostic parameters exclusive to this group, potentially leading to misclassification with existing general-population thresholds; and (3) the absence of a screening model built entirely on literature parameters from postmenopausal women, hindering individualized risk stratification. This review systematically examines the disease burden of OP in postmenopausal women, the limitations of DXA screening, the principles and progress of opportunistic CT, and critically analyzes these three key gaps to underscore the necessity and urgency for a comprehensive chain of evidence, from causal mechanisms to clinical application.

Clinical Manifestations and Pathological Diagnosis of Anastomosing Hemangioma

Qingtao Shi, Huilei Qiu, Shuzhe Deng — Fri, 10 Jul 2026 13:47:04 +0800

Objective: To explore the clinical manifestations, histopathological features and differential diagnosis of anastomosing hemangioma. Methods: Histopathological observation and immunohistochemical study were performed on 3 cases of anastomosing hemangioma. Results: Among the 3 cases, 2 occurred in the adrenal gland and 1 in the mediastinum. The tumor had a thin fibrous capsule, with interlacing and anastomosing vascular-like arrangement. The vessel walls were irregular, with varying numbers of wall cells and uneven thickness, only a single layer of cells in the thin areas, while dense cell regions with abundant cells forming thick trabeculae. The cells were small with a low nuclear-cytoplasmic ratio, abundant eosinophilic cytoplasm, small round nuclei, thin nuclear membranes, fine chromatin and inconspicuous nucleoli. Eosinophilic edematous and fibrinoid stroma were visible. A small number of scattered irregular thick-walled blood vessels were found in the tumor; some areas resembled splenic medulla, some contained abundant edematous and hyaline stroma, and some endothelial cells could be hobnail-shaped. Conclusion: Anastomosing hemangioma is a newly reported benign vascular tumor, which is relatively rare. It generally has no obvious clinical symptoms and is occasionally found during physical examination. Due to the significant anastomosing arrangement of neoplastic blood vessels, it is easily misdiagnosed as angiosarcoma.

A Case of Multiple Metastases from Follicular Thyroid Carcinoma Treated with Radioactive Iodine-131 After Lobectomy

Derun Yu, Boye Zhou, Zhenhu Zhou — Tue, 30 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0800

Follicular thyroid carcinoma (FTC) is the second most common type of differentiated thyroid cancer, with a high propensity for hematogenous metastasis, particularly to the lungs and bones. Radioactive iodine-131 (¹³¹I) therapy is traditionally recommended after total thyroidectomy when minimal remnant thyroid tissue is present. However, the necessity of completion thyroidectomy before ¹³¹I therapy in patients who have undergone lobectomy remains controversial. This case report describes a 73-year-old female patient with multiple distant metastases (bones, lungs, lymph nodes, and adrenal gland) that developed eight years after lobectomy for FTC. She received two courses of individualized ¹³¹I therapy (70 mCi and 200 mCi) based on pre-therapeutic assessment of iodine-avidity using ⁹⁹^mTcO4-thyroid scintigraphy. Following treatment, the patient’s pain symptoms significantly improved, and follow-up whole-body iodine scintigraphy with SPECT/CT showed marked reduction in metastatic lesions with osteoblastic repair changes. Serial thyroglobulin levels demonstrated a sustained downward trend. This case suggests that for FTC patients with iodine-avid metastatic disease after lobectomy, ¹³¹I therapy can be safe and effective, even in the presence of significant remnant thyroid tissue, provided that pre-treatment evaluation of iodine uptake capacity is thoroughly performed.

Construction and Validation of a Prognostic Model for Hepatocellular Carcinoma Based on Hypoxia-Related lncRNAs

Yahan Ren — Tue, 30 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0800

Objective: To explore the correlation between hypoxia-related long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) and the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients, and to construct and validate a prognostic risk model based on hypoxia-related lncRNA. Method: Obtain RNA transcriptome sequencing data and clinical follow-up data of HCC patients from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Based on the HALLMARK-HYPOXIA gene set in the Molecular Signature Database (MSigDB), Spearman correlation analysis was used to screen hypoxia-related lncRNAs. Further, single-factor Cox proportional hazards regression, Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) - Cox regression, and multiple-factor Cox regression were used to screen for key lncRNAs associated with HCC prognosis, and a risk scoring model was constructed based on these results. According to the median risk score, patients were divided into high-risk and low-risk groups. Kaplan Meier survival analysis was used to compare the overall survival differences between the two groups, and the discriminant ability and clinical application value of the model were evaluated through a time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and consistency index (C-index). Further combining clinical pathological characteristics for univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis, screening for independent prognostic factors, and constructing a column chart prediction model. Result: A total of 367 HCC patients were included. Finally, 14 hypoxia related lncRNAs closely related to the prognosis of HCC were screened, namely MAPKAPK5-AS1, KDM4A-AS1, LINC00674, HCG15, NEAT1, EIF3J-AS1, BSG-AS1, FRMD6-AS1, HMMR-AS1, MRVI1-AS1, SZT2-AS1, SLC1A5-AS, CPS1-IT1 And AC115619, and based on this, construct a prognostic risk scoring model. The Kaplan Meier survival analysis results showed that the overall survival rate of high-risk group patients was lower than that of the low-risk group, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.01). ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the curve (AUC) of the model for predicting the survival of HCC patients at 1, 3, and 5 years was 0.59, 0.61, and 0.65, respectively, indicating that the model has good survival prediction performance. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that age, T stage, and risk score were independent risk factors affecting the prognosis of HCC patients (P<0.05). The Nomogram model was constructed on this basis. The calibration curve results confirm that the model has good predictive value for the 1, 3, and 5-year survival probabilities of HCC patients. Conclusion: 14 hypoxia-related lncRNAs are closely related to the prognosis of HCC patients. The risk scoring model constructed based on them has good prognostic stratification and survival prediction ability, and can provide a reference for individualized risk assessment and clinical decision-making of HCC patients.

Cancer Pain in Adults: Contemporary Approaches to Assessment, Phenotyping, and Multimodal Management

Liying Yang, Mengnan Du, Huiling Liu, Yunchao Zhang, Wentao Li, Dan Yi — Tue, 30 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0800

As one of the most prevalent and burdensome symptoms across the cancer continuum, cancer pain affects patients with active disease, those approaching the end of life, and a growing population of long-term survivors. Despite advances in supportive oncology, clinically meaningful gaps in pain control persist. These gaps increasingly reflect limitations in implementation, inequitable access to care, delayed recognition of structural pain generators, and inconsistent integration of interdisciplinary services rather than a simple lack of therapeutic options. This narrative review provides a clinically oriented synthesis of contemporary guidelines and selected high-impact evidence on adult cancer pain management. We review the pathophysiology of cancer pain, multidimensional assessment, phenotype-informed pharmacologic strategies, disease-directed interventions, and nonpharmacologic supportive approaches. We also examine the tension between rational opioid stewardship and the risk of undertreatment in the context of the opioid crisis. Contemporary cancer pain management requires individualized, mechanism-informed care that extends beyond linear analgesic escalation. Three practical themes emerge from current evidence and guideline synthesis: first, routine multidimensional assessment is needed to distinguish nociceptive, neuropathic, mixed, and temporal pain phenotypes; second, disease-directed interventions such as palliative radiotherapy should be considered early when they address the underlying pain generator; and third, proactive multidisciplinary collaboration is essential to address functional impairment, psychosocial distress, and barriers to equitable care delivery.

A Review of Research Progress and Challenges in Deep Learning for Magnetic Resonance Imaging in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Prostate Cancer

Xiao Yuan — Tue, 30 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0800

Prostate cancer is a highly prevalent malignant tumor among men worldwide, and its precise diagnosis and treatment are crucial for improving patient prognosis. Multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging, as a core imaging modality, is widely used in clinical practice. In recent years, breakthroughs in deep learning technology have provided powerful tools for the intelligent analysis of MRI images, promoting the development of automated and precise diagnosis and treatment for prostate cancer. This article aims to systematically review the current applications of deep learning in the field of prostate cancer MRI, covering key directions such as lesion detection and segmentation, diagnosis and grading, prognosis prediction, and imaging genomics correlation. The article provides an in-depth analysis of current mainstream models, the challenges related to data and validation, and offers insights into future trends, with the goal of providing references for related research and clinical practice.

Transcriptional Repression of SP1 by FOXA3 Suppresses Pancreatic Cancer Cell Proliferation and Migration

Bingjie Xu — Tue, 30 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0800

Objectives: Transcriptional Repression of SP1 by FOXA3 Suppresses Pancreatic Cancer Cell Proliferation and Migration. Methods: Using overexpression and RNAi (RNAi) techniques, the expression levels of SP1 and FOXA3 in pancreatic cancer cells were adjusted, respectively. Cell proliferation and migration abilities were assessed by CCK - 8 proliferation assay and wound healing assay. The regulatory relationship between SP1 and FOXA3 expression was confirmed by Western blot analysis. Results: Functional assays showed that knockdown of SP1 significantly suppressed the proliferation and migration abilities of pancreatic cancer cells, indicating an oncogenic role of SP1 in pancreatic cancer. Mechanistic studies further demonstrated that overexpression of FOXA3 markedly downregulated the protein expression level of SP1. Conclusion: By transcriptionally suppressing SP1 expression, FOXA3 prevents the malignant progression of pancreatic cancer and attenuates SP1- mediated promotion of tumor cell proliferation and migration. Targeting the FOXA3/SP1 regulatory axis may offer a novel therapeutic approach for pancreatic cancer treatment.

The Anti-aging Mechanisms of Plant Polyphenols and Challenges to Their Bioavailability: A Systematic Literature Review

Rong Liu, Wenying Yang, Xiang Wang, Muyang Li, Yuxuan He — Tue, 30 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0800

As natural bioactive compounds obtained from the daily diet, plant polyphenols have shown potential in anti-aging research to exert their effects through multi-target regulatory networks, such as the AMPK/SIRT1 axis and inflammatory and oxidative stress pathways. However, their oral bioavailability is quite low, which has become a major obstacle limiting their progression towards clinical application. This review provides a systematic overview of progress in this field and further explores the potential applications of plant polyphenols in supportive cancer therapy through their intervention in the aging process. It notes that although current research is becoming increasingly detailed in its exploration of mechanisms, there remain widespread shortcomings, such as insufficient physiological relevance and relatively weak clinical evidence. Future work should focus more on validating mechanisms in physiologically relevant models and promoting the design of more rigorous clinical trials; only then can plant polyphenols truly be transformed from laboratory potential into tangible clinical benefits.

Clinical Diagnosis, Treatment and Prevention Strategies of HIV/AIDS-related Tumors

Dong Guo, Yaxian Zhang — Tue, 30 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0800

HIV/AIDS-related tumors represent a significant challenge in the global public health arena. This article systematically elaborates on the clinical characteristics, diagnosis and treatment strategies, as well as prevention and control measures of HIV/AIDS-related tumors. The HIV virus causes immune deficiency by attacking CD4+ T lymphocytes, significantly increasing the risk of tumor development. Common types include Kaposi’s sarcoma, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and invasive cervical cancer. Clinical diagnosis and treatment need to comprehensively consider the treatment of the tumor itself and immune reconstitution, adopting a combination of surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and highly active antiretroviral therapy. In terms of prevention and control, the focus should be on primary prevention, including HIV screening, early diagnosis and treatment, and regular tumor screening, to reduce the disease burden and improve patient prognosis.