Over two decades from the first publication of the Hallmarks of Cancer, proposed in the millennium by Douglas Hanahan and Robert Weinberg, the landscape of cancer research has changed significantly. In 2010, a total of ten hallmarks (six established and four emerging) were solidified to provide a set of criteria to describe how normal, healthy cells can eventually transform to malignant tumours through a successive number of emerging characteristics.
Over time, it has been confirmed that tumours are comprised of a plethora of heterogenic cell types, interacting and communicating to build resistance against therapies, innate defence mechanisms and drive proliferation. Furthermore, it is more thoroughly understood now how exactly the tumour microenvironment influences disease progression and clinical outcomes something the more recent hallmarks contribute significantly to. By understanding such processes and integrating the interactions they form with novel therapeutics, we can develop a deeper understanding of how mutagenic cells form and survive.
We at Frontiers would like to commemorate the incredible research and advancements made surrounding these principles over the last decade by introducing this special series within our Oncology Journal. By collecting pioneering research focusing on these principles, we hope to allow for Open Access platforms to drive the next decade of change and technological growth within the oncology field. In this initiative, we want to focus on the many aspects involved in Cancer treatment. From diagnostics, therapies and management, it is imperative to understand how they all fit together within the Hallmarks of Cancer to benefit the patient and pioneer research. Furthermore, we want to explore recent research in the emerging hallmarks identified a decade ago to honour recent advances made within that particular area. While simultaneously horizon scanning and looking to the future of where this might take us.
Hallmark of Cancer: Genomic Instability and Mutations
Arguably underpinning many of the other hallmarks are the mutations developed within the genome of the cell. Genomic instability ultimately is what transforms healthy, functional cells into malignant tissue. These instability specific advantages over other malignant or semi-malignant clones result in a dominant form of tumour cell within the specific tissue. In this special issue, we aim to shed light on the role and repercussions of genomic instability in driving proliferation and disease resistance, and how it can be targeted for the treatment of malignant disease.
This Research Topic welcomes high-quality Original Research and Review, and Perspective articles highlighting the evolution in our understanding of cancer genomes and postulating where we can progress from here We aim to celebrate the advances made within the last ten years and the many to come.
See below for other collections in the Hallmarks series:
Hallmark of Cancer: Avoiding Immune SuppressionHallmark of Cancer: Genomic Instability and MutationsHallmark of Cancer: Resisting Cell DeathHallmark of Cancer: Sustained ProliferativeHallmark of Cancer: Inducing Angiogenesis Hallmark of Cancer: Replicative ImmortalityHallmark of Cancer: Evasion of Growth SuppressorsHallmark of Cancer: Reprogramming of Cellular MetabolismHallmark of Cancer: Activating Invasion and MetastasisHallmark of Cancer: Tumor Promoting InflammationPlease note: manuscripts consisting solely of bioinformatics, computational analysis, or predictions of public databases which are not accompanied by validation (independent cohort or biological validation in vitro or in vivo) will not be accepted in any of the sections of Frontiers in Oncology.
