International Journal of Oncology Special Issues
Role of the Tight Junctions in Cancer Metastasis
Lead Editor:
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Professor Gregory T. MacLennan
Case Western Reserve University
United States
Metastasis is still an immense challenge in the treatment of cancer. Whilst recent years have seen great advances in cancer diagnosis and treatment, metastasis is still difficult to treat. For cancer cells to successfully detach from the primary tumor and spread around the body, cell-to-cell adhesion must break down. Tight junctions are the first cell adhesion complex to be dismantled during metastasis formation and are therefore fundamental for cancer development. The cellular structure of tight junctions has been increasingly described to be important in cancer disease progression and therefore it is identified as a potential target for treatment and means of drug delivery. Several questions still need to be fully addressed to improve our understanding of the role of tight junctions in cancer metastasis. These include the underlying molecular mechanisms within the cancer cell itself, and also how these mechanisms influence other cell types involved in the metastatic process. Due to their prominent role in cancer development, individual tight junctions have been increasingly reported to be potential diagnostic markers or possible targets for therapy. Moreover, tight junction complexes are crucial to the efficacy of drug therapies, as they can regulate the permeability and bioavailability of the drugs, and penetration of barriers such as the blood-brain barrier.
Submission deadline: 17 May 2023
CAR T cell therapy - quo vadis
Lead Editor:
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Professor Michael Schmitt
Heidelberg University Hospital
Germany
CAR T cells have become a very powerful instrument in the armamentarium against CD19+ lymphoma and leukemia, as well as against BCMA+ multiple myeloma. This issue will update clinician with novel targets, CAR constructs and novel analysis of parameters for clinical responses to CAR T cell theray. Moreover, gene expression profiling of both malignant cells and CAR T cells can help us towards a better understanding of the success and failure in CAR T cell therapy.
Submission deadline: 22 July 2023
Diagnostic and molecular targeting INSM1-associated signaling axis in neuroendocrine tumors
Lead Editor:
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Professor Michael Lan
LSUHSC
United States
Insulinoma-associated-1 (IA-1 or INSM1) cDNA encodes a zinc-finger transcription factor, which was isolated from a human insulinoma subtraction library, with specific expression patterns, predominantly in developing neuroendocrine (NE) tissues and tumors. INSM1 functions as a key differentiation factor in early pancreatic endocrine, sympatho-adrenal lineage, and pan-neurogenic precursor development. Deletion of INSM1 gene expression results in impairment of pancreatic beta-cells, catecholamine biosynthesis, and basal progenitor development during mammalian neocortex maturation. Recent studies revealed that elevated INSM1 expression in NE tumors (NETs) signifies that INSM1 is a superior biomarker for diagnostic and molecular target in NETs. NETs are tumors from cells that release hormones into the blood in response to a signaling from the nervous system. More than a dozen of NETs include carcinoid tumors, islet cell tumors, medullary thyroid cancer, pheochromocytomas, NE carcinoma of the skin (Merkel cell cancer), pulmonary NE tumors (small cell lung cancer, large cell NE carcinoma, and lung carcinoid), pituitary tumor, parathyroid carcinoma, gastroentero-pancreatic NE tumors, medulloblastoma, neuroblastoma, retinoblastoma, and genitourinary tract tumors (NE tumor of the cervix, prostate). Although they share similar NE features, it is known that distinct pathogenesis and oncogenic pathways are involved in each individual cancer. Therefore, it is feasible to target INSM1 biomarker and its associated signaling axis as a novel therapeutic approach for new options in NET treatment.
Submission deadline: 19 July 2023
Molecular Targets of Metastatic Cancers, the Biological, Clinical and Therapeutic Perspectives
Lead Editor:
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Professor Wen g Jiang
Cardiff University School of Medicine
United Kingdom
This special issue is devoted to studies on molecular targets of metastatic cancers and aims to report findings of those targets that contribute to metastasis of cancers. Studies conducted at molecular, cellular, clinical and therapeutic levels to discover the molecular and cellular mechanisms, clinical and therapeutic implications of the targets in cancers and metastatic cancers are welcome. Quality original research articles and reviews are considered.
Submission deadline: 13 July 2023
