About this Research Topic
Cancer, a very diverse group of diseases, is considered a major health burden globally, being one of the leading causes of death in many countries. Among known cancers, there is a subset of malignancies with extremely infrequent incidence and a variety of genotypes and phenotypes – they are characterized as rare cancers. Despite the dynamic progress in immunotherapy and other cutting-edge cancer treatments, as well as in cancer detection and basic research achieved in the last decade, the development of anticancer drugs and therapeutic strategies for rare cancers has been very much inadequate.
Cancer research depends on reliable preclinical models that are commonly used in all areas of basic and translational research, including drug development and screening, diagnostic test development, anti-cancer vaccine development, as well as studies on mechanisms of tumorigenesis, cancer microenvironment, metastasis, molecular biology, structural biology, epigenetics, medicinal chemistry, precision medicine, to name a few. However, only a small number of reliable models are available for rare cancers. Even though no preclinical model is ideal and all of them possess limitations to a lesser or greater extent, rare cancer research and the establishment of anticancer therapies for patients with rare cancers depend on studies performed in preclinical models. Thus, there is an urgent need for the development of new models that recapitulate stages of rare cancers, and closely resemble pathology and the course of these malignancies in humans.
Goal
This Research Topic aims to identify novel preclinical models for rare cancers used in various areas of cancer research, in terms of their importance for translational research. We would like to collect manuscripts describing the advances in preclinical models’ development that can provide valuable information for researchers and clinicians strategizing new therapeutic/diagnostic approaches. A broad range of research (Original Research, Methods, Review/mini-Review articles) is welcomed.
Scope and information for Authors
We welcome submissions covering but not limited to the following sub-topics:
1. Current state of the art in preclinical cancer models for rare cancers
2. Identification and implementation of novel preclinical models for rare cancers
3. Preclinical cancer models as a tool in precision and personalized medicine
4. Advancement in development of in vitro preclinical models
5. Recent development in animal rare cancer models
Cancer research depends on reliable preclinical models that are commonly used in all areas of basic and translational research, including drug development and screening, diagnostic test development, anti-cancer vaccine development, as well as studies on mechanisms of tumorigenesis, cancer microenvironment, metastasis, molecular biology, structural biology, epigenetics, medicinal chemistry, precision medicine, to name a few. However, only a small number of reliable models are available for rare cancers. Even though no preclinical model is ideal and all of them possess limitations to a lesser or greater extent, rare cancer research and the establishment of anticancer therapies for patients with rare cancers depend on studies performed in preclinical models. Thus, there is an urgent need for the development of new models that recapitulate stages of rare cancers, and closely resemble pathology and the course of these malignancies in humans.
Goal
This Research Topic aims to identify novel preclinical models for rare cancers used in various areas of cancer research, in terms of their importance for translational research. We would like to collect manuscripts describing the advances in preclinical models’ development that can provide valuable information for researchers and clinicians strategizing new therapeutic/diagnostic approaches. A broad range of research (Original Research, Methods, Review/mini-Review articles) is welcomed.
Scope and information for Authors
We welcome submissions covering but not limited to the following sub-topics:
1. Current state of the art in preclinical cancer models for rare cancers
2. Identification and implementation of novel preclinical models for rare cancers
3. Preclinical cancer models as a tool in precision and personalized medicine
4. Advancement in development of in vitro preclinical models
5. Recent development in animal rare cancer models
Keywords: rare cancers, preclinical cancer models, translational cancer research, strengths and limitations of preclinical models in oncology
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
