According to Global Cancer Statistics 2020, an estimated 19.3 million new cancer cases and almost 10 million cancer deaths occurred in 2020. Solid tumors, which develop in muscle, bone and organs of the body, represent approximately 90% of adult human cancers. Hence, solid tumors warrant significant attention from the research fraternity to improve upon the existing platforms of treatment and management of the malignancy. Only by a better understanding of the biology associated with cancer development and progression can we identify clinically relevant novel molecular targets that can not only improve upon the risk stratification of the patients, but also assist in overall disease management.

For decades, cancer research has focused on the role of protein-coding genes. Owing to advances in high throughput genomic and proteomic approaches, recently the role of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), has been identified as potent agents that hold a strong potential in shaping the cellular activity in normal physiology and disease pathogenesis. One subtype of the small ncRNA group that has started gaining some recognition in the last few years, thanks to massive sequencing efforts of the cancer transcriptomes, are the P-element-induced-wimpy (PIWI)-interacting RNAs (piRNAs). Nearly 10 million unique piRNA sequences, vastly diverse than the miRNA pool, have now been identified in humans alone that have been recognized to play a wide variety of roles including germline development, maintenance, and protection of the genome integrity by repressing the activity of transposons through post-transcriptional silencing or other epigenetic mechanisms. Emerging data suggests that piRNAs also have strong regulatory roles within the somatic tissues where they regulate gene expression by inducing histone modification and DNA methylation. Owing to their remarkable roles in maintaining cellular homeostasis, it is not surprising that recent studies have identified that the expression of piRNAs is frequently deregulated in several cancers, although this research field is still in its infancy.
This Research Topic will cover the clinicopathological significance of piRNA in solid tumors. We welcome the submission of Review, Mini-Review and Original Research articles covering, but not limited to, the following topics:

1. Database of piRNA alteration in solid tumors
2. Functional roles of piRNAs in regulating cancer development, progression, metastasis and chemoresistance
3. Molecular mechanism modulated by piRNAs in solid tumors
4. Differential expression analysis of piRNAs in different means of biopsies and their characterization as biomarkers for cancer diagnosis or prognosis

Note: Submissions consisting solely of bioinformatic investigation of publicly available genomic / transcriptomic data without experimental or in situ validation to support conclusions are not in scope for Frontiers in Oncology.

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