Precision Therapeutics in Rare Cancers: Targeting Tumor Microenvironment and Biomarker-Driven Approaches

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About this Research Topic

Submission deadlines

  1. Manuscript Submission Deadline 28 September 2024 | Manuscript Extension Submission Deadline 23 November 2024

Background

The field of precision therapeutics for rare cancers is currently facing significant challenges due to the low number of patients, disease heterogeneity, and a lack of preclinical data supporting the use of immune drugs. While immune checkpoint blockade therapies targeting PD1, PD-L1, and CTLA-4 have transformed the treatment landscape for common cancers like melanoma and non-small-cell lung cancer, and CAR-T cells have shown remarkable success in hematologic malignancies, these advancements have not been adequately extended to rare tumors. The burgeoning portfolio of potential therapeutic targets, including vaccines, modified T-cells, NK-cells, novel immune checkpoint blockers, cytokine therapies, and intra-tumoral therapies, underscores the need for a strategic approach in selecting the appropriate drug and target for each rare cancer subtype. This is crucial for improving patient care, as individuals with rare cancers constitute 25-30% of the cancer population, representing a critical unmet need. Despite the growing pipeline, there remains a gap in translating these innovations into effective treatments for rare cancers, necessitating further investigation and development.

This research topic aims to consolidate and evaluate the pre-clinical, translational, and clinical data supporting the use of novel therapies for rare cancers. The focus will be on understanding the tumor microenvironment of each rare cancer entity, exploring translational research of drugs in the development pipeline, and identifying subgroups of tumors or novel biomarkers that predict response to therapeutic strategies with a strong biological rationale. A particular emphasis will be placed on the rationale for employing immunotherapies in the treatment of rare cancers, aiming to bridge the gap between existing knowledge and clinical application.

To gather further insights in the realm of precision therapeutics for rare cancers, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:
- Rare Cancers:
- Sarcomas
- Neuro-oncology
- Head and Neck Tumors
- Mesothelioma
- Thymic Tumors
- Rare gynecologic and breast tumors
- Peritoneal Malignancies
- Anal Cancers
- Hematologic malignancies
- Immune Therapies:
- Novel Immune checkpoint blockers
- Combination therapies with standard-of-care treatments such as chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or tyrosine kinase inhibitors
- Intra-tumoral treatment
- Novel Cytokines
- Modified T-cell or NK-cell therapies and CAR-T cells/ CAR-NK cells

Please note that manuscripts consisting solely of bioinformatics or computational analysis of public genomic or transcriptomic databases, without robust and relevant validation, are out of scope for this topic.

Note that Topic Editor Dr. Takahiro Tsujikawa is a paid consultant for Merck Biopharma and Rakuten Medical and receives speaker fees from Bristol-Myers Squibb, Merck Biopharma, Eisai Co., Ltd., Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp, Ono Pharmaceutical, Otsuka Pharmaceutical Factory, and Rakuten Medical. Additionally, manuscripts consisting solely of bioinformatics or computational analysis of public genomic or transcriptomic databases which are not accompanied by robust and relevant validation (clinical cohort or biological validation in vitro or in vivo) are out of scope for this topic.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

  • Brief Research Report
  • Case Report
  • Classification
  • Clinical Trial
  • Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
  • Editorial
  • General Commentary
  • Hypothesis and Theory
  • Methods

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

  • Brief Research Report
  • Case Report
  • Classification
  • Clinical Trial
  • Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
  • Editorial
  • General Commentary
  • Hypothesis and Theory
  • Methods
  • Mini Review
  • Opinion
  • Original Research
  • Perspective
  • Review
  • Study Protocol
  • Systematic Review
  • Technology and Code

Keywords: Rare Cancers, Immunotherapy, Early Drug Development, Immune Checkpoint Blockers, Sarcoma, Biomarkers

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.

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Manuscripts can be submitted to this Research Topic via the main journal or any other participating journal.

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