Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41959889›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in oncology2026

The role of AI-powered molecular profiling in the diagnosis and management of cancers of unknown primary: a case report and literature review.

Abdullah Esmail, Hala Hassanain, Joanne Xiu, Maen Abdelrahim

Abstract readCase Reports
In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in oncology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Abdullah EsmailSection of Gastrointestinal Oncology, Houston Methodist Neal Cancer Center, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX, United States.
Hala HassanainSection of Gastrointestinal Oncology, Houston Methodist Neal Cancer Center, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX, United States.
Joanne XiuCharles W. Duncan Jr. Department of Medicine, Caris Life Sciences, Phoenix, AZ, United States.
Maen AbdelrahimSection of Gastrointestinal Oncology, Houston Methodist Neal Cancer Center, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX, United States.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Molecular profiling (MP) and next-generation sequencing (NGS) have expanded the diagnostics evaluation of cancer by enabling genomic characterization that informs diagnosis and treatment selection. As the second leading cause of global mortality, cancer claimed nearly 10 million lives in 2020. Artificial intelligence (AI)-powered MP is increasingly recognized for its precision in diagnosing complex cancers, particularly cancers of unknown primary (CUP). Case presentation: We report a case of a 69-year-old male with a history of treated prostate cancer, initially diagnosed with CUP and suspected pancreaticobiliary malignancy. Conventional diagnostics, including imaging and immunohistochemistry, failed to identify the primary tumor, leading to ineffective therapies. AI-powered MP (Molecular Intelligence) revealed an 82% likelihood of renal cell carcinoma (RCC), prompting a targeted biopsy that confirmed RCC with sarcomatoid differentiation, enabling effective treatment with pembrolizumab and axitinib. Conclusions: This case highlights the potential role of AI-powered MP in resolving diagnostic uncertainty in CUP, where traditional methods like imaging and tumor markers are inconclusive. By identifying actionable biomarkers, MP facilitates personalized therapy, improving clinical outcomes. Further research is needed to validate the broader clinical utility of AI-driven MP as a decision-support tool for precision oncology.

Indexed as

case reportmolecular intelligencemolecular profilingprostate cancerrenal cell carcinoma

Identifiers

PMID41959889
PMCPMC13056599

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.