Frontiers in Oncology World Cancer Day 2019 Special Edition

Advances in cancer research over the recent decades have been plentiful and often successful, with 5 year survival rates increasing almost uniformly across the board. The advent of new technologies has presented solutions for yesterday’s barriers to research, allowing us to leap forward in our ability to prevent, diagnose, and treat various cancers. Developments in omics studies has provided new insights into the underlying molecular basis of different cancers and their subtypes, greatly enhancing our understanding of the vast heterogeneity that exists.

Progress in our ability to diagnose and detect early-stage cancers has resulted in numerous screening and prevention programs. Novel imaging technologies allow us to study and comprehend cancers with greater clarity than ever before. Although the field, as a whole, has experienced many successes, arduous challenges must be overcome in order to see continued success. The truth of the matter is cancer related deaths continue to rise in number worldwide, especially in lower- and middle-income countries. It is evident that there is still a lot of work to be done.

This Frontiers in Oncology Special Issue marks the 1st edition of a collection of selected articles published in the journal over the course of the previous calendar year, highlighting ongoing research and advances being carried out in the different disciplines of cancer research.