Cancer development and progression are the result of the accumulation of both genetic and epigenetic alterations, as well as the molecular and signaling pathway alterations occurring in the tumor cells. Moreover, an important role in cancer progression is played by a complex of interactions, including the bidirectional and dynamic interactions between the cells of the stromal tissue and cancer cells of the tumor microenvironment. This cellular communication network contributes to the malignant phenotype of the cancer cell. In spite of the advances in the development of molecular targeted therapies for cancer treatment, the tumor cell’s ability to acquire new neoplastic properties and evolve new molecular mechanisms for drug resistance and/or for immune response escape, are on the basis of the failure of cancer therapy approaches and cancer relapse. For these reasons, a growing area of the research is focused on the combinatorial therapeutic approaches in which chemotherapy, radiotherapy, gene therapy, molecular targeted therapy, and immunotherapy strategies are combined with each other to fight cancer.
In this Research Topic we would like to discuss novel combinatorial approaches for cancer treatment across basic and translational research. We like to welcome Original Research and Review articles focusing on, but not limited to, the following themes:
1. Molecular mechanisms and signaling pathways underlying the combinatorial strategies used in the therapeutic approaches
2. Preclinical studies that show a proof of concept of the efficacy of the combinatorial therapeutic approaches in cancer
3. Identification of new molecular targets and combinatorial therapeutic approaches based on them
4. Synthetic lethality-based combinatorial strategies
5. Development of new therapeutic opportunities which combine:
a. Chemotherapeutic agents with miRNA or agents that target microRNA
b. Chemotherapeutic agents with epigenetic therapy strategies
c. Chemotherapeutic agents with molecular targeted therapy
d. Molecular targeted therapies that use agents that act on different genes in the same pathway
e. Molecular targeted therapies that use agents targeting genes/proteins involved in different cellular
processes and in different pathways
Cancer development and progression are the result of the accumulation of both genetic and epigenetic alterations, as well as the molecular and signaling pathway alterations occurring in the tumor cells. Moreover, an important role in cancer progression is played by a complex of interactions, including the bidirectional and dynamic interactions between the cells of the stromal tissue and cancer cells of the tumor microenvironment. This cellular communication network contributes to the malignant phenotype of the cancer cell. In spite of the advances in the development of molecular targeted therapies for cancer treatment, the tumor cell’s ability to acquire new neoplastic properties and evolve new molecular mechanisms for drug resistance and/or for immune response escape, are on the basis of the failure of cancer therapy approaches and cancer relapse. For these reasons, a growing area of the research is focused on the combinatorial therapeutic approaches in which chemotherapy, radiotherapy, gene therapy, molecular targeted therapy, and immunotherapy strategies are combined with each other to fight cancer.
In this Research Topic we would like to discuss novel combinatorial approaches for cancer treatment across basic and translational research. We like to welcome Original Research and Review articles focusing on, but not limited to, the following themes:
1. Molecular mechanisms and signaling pathways underlying the combinatorial strategies used in the therapeutic approaches
2. Preclinical studies that show a proof of concept of the efficacy of the combinatorial therapeutic approaches in cancer
3. Identification of new molecular targets and combinatorial therapeutic approaches based on them
4. Synthetic lethality-based combinatorial strategies
5. Development of new therapeutic opportunities which combine:
a. Chemotherapeutic agents with miRNA or agents that target microRNA
b. Chemotherapeutic agents with epigenetic therapy strategies
c. Chemotherapeutic agents with molecular targeted therapy
d. Molecular targeted therapies that use agents that act on different genes in the same pathway
e. Molecular targeted therapies that use agents targeting genes/proteins involved in different cellular
processes and in different pathways