About this Research Topic
Researchers have intensively studied the biology of cancer for several decades, yet many unknowns are waiting for discoveries/are remaining. With novel research tools and approaches, our understanding on cancer pathogenesis and progression keeps expanding and advancing cancer therapy.
In the past few decades, more evidence indicates that cancers are systemic diseases. Their progression is not defined only by the tumor’s genetic and epigenetic alterations. Tumors communicate with their surroundings at a local environmental level and systemic level. These interactions reciprocally influence the dynamic of the tumor and the body and determine the tumor progression and response to treatment. The early era of cancer therapy focused only on eradicating tumor cells, excluding their interactions with the body. Although this approach has improved the prognosis of many cancer types, we are still far from curing the diseases. Later, research discoveries in the realm of communications between tumors and the body’s system expand insight into the consequences of tumor-body system interactions in terms of treatment response and resistance and drastically facilitate the development of novel treatments. For instance, our understanding of communications between tumor cells and the body’s immune system leads us to develop immune checkpoint inhibitors, currently used to treat several cancers.
Although our understanding of cancers has improved treatment outcomes, we still cannot cure the diseases. Now, many research discoveries point out that interactions between tumor and the body’s system via various communication mechanisms such as paracrine, extracellular vesicles, cell surface receptors, and more play critical roles in determining treatment response. Moreover, many of these communications allow tumors to become resistant toward the treatment. Thus, it is necessary to understand how tumors communicate with their surroundings locally and systemically and how these communications affect tumor treatment response and resistance. Insight into tumor-body system interactions and treatment response will allow better management of the diseases and leads to emerging therapeutic approaches that implicate tumor communications to improve treatment success.
Researchers have recently remarkably unraveled tumor-body system interactions and treatment response and resistance. Hence, this Research Topic aims to provide an overview of current research discoveries on tumor communications and treatment response and resistance. Range of the topics includes but not limited to:
- Knowledge and research discoveries of tumor-body system interactions such as extracellular vesicles, paracrine, immune systems, interaction with tumor microenvironment, etc.
- Insight into how tumors alter the body’s systems and vice versa
- Insight into the implication of tumor-body’s system communications in response to treatment
- Knowledge and research discoveries of the impact of tumor communications in treatment resistance
- Emerging therapeutic approaches targeting or involving tumor communications
- Research approaches to elucidate tumor communications and their implications in treatment response and resistance
Please note: studies consisting solely of bioinformatic investigation of publicly available genomic/transcriptomic/proteomic data do not fall within the scope of the section unless they are expanded and provide significant biological or mechanistic insight into the process being studied.
In the past few decades, more evidence indicates that cancers are systemic diseases. Their progression is not defined only by the tumor’s genetic and epigenetic alterations. Tumors communicate with their surroundings at a local environmental level and systemic level. These interactions reciprocally influence the dynamic of the tumor and the body and determine the tumor progression and response to treatment. The early era of cancer therapy focused only on eradicating tumor cells, excluding their interactions with the body. Although this approach has improved the prognosis of many cancer types, we are still far from curing the diseases. Later, research discoveries in the realm of communications between tumors and the body’s system expand insight into the consequences of tumor-body system interactions in terms of treatment response and resistance and drastically facilitate the development of novel treatments. For instance, our understanding of communications between tumor cells and the body’s immune system leads us to develop immune checkpoint inhibitors, currently used to treat several cancers.
Although our understanding of cancers has improved treatment outcomes, we still cannot cure the diseases. Now, many research discoveries point out that interactions between tumor and the body’s system via various communication mechanisms such as paracrine, extracellular vesicles, cell surface receptors, and more play critical roles in determining treatment response. Moreover, many of these communications allow tumors to become resistant toward the treatment. Thus, it is necessary to understand how tumors communicate with their surroundings locally and systemically and how these communications affect tumor treatment response and resistance. Insight into tumor-body system interactions and treatment response will allow better management of the diseases and leads to emerging therapeutic approaches that implicate tumor communications to improve treatment success.
Researchers have recently remarkably unraveled tumor-body system interactions and treatment response and resistance. Hence, this Research Topic aims to provide an overview of current research discoveries on tumor communications and treatment response and resistance. Range of the topics includes but not limited to:
- Knowledge and research discoveries of tumor-body system interactions such as extracellular vesicles, paracrine, immune systems, interaction with tumor microenvironment, etc.
- Insight into how tumors alter the body’s systems and vice versa
- Insight into the implication of tumor-body’s system communications in response to treatment
- Knowledge and research discoveries of the impact of tumor communications in treatment resistance
- Emerging therapeutic approaches targeting or involving tumor communications
- Research approaches to elucidate tumor communications and their implications in treatment response and resistance
Please note: studies consisting solely of bioinformatic investigation of publicly available genomic/transcriptomic/proteomic data do not fall within the scope of the section unless they are expanded and provide significant biological or mechanistic insight into the process being studied.
Keywords: Cancer, Tumor communication, Tumor treatment, Treatment resistance, Tumor microenvironment, Tumor systemic response
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.
