Molecular Biomarkers as Potential Therapeutic Targets in Human Testicular Germ Cell Tumors

Dear Colleagues,

Gonad development is a highly regulated phenomenon, and its perturbation may have a great impact, not only on the proper development of the gonads, but also on promoting the instauration of germ cell tumors (GCTs). These are a huge group of neoplasia with different histological characteristics, but with a common origin in the stem cells of the early embryo and germ line. Among GCTs, testicular germ cell tumors (TGCTs) are the most frequent solid tumors in adolescent and young adult males with a lifetime risk of about 0.5–1%, which has increased in some Western countries by up to three-folds. Currently, thanks to scientific research and the introduction of cisplatin-based chemotherapy, TGCTs are highly curable (over 80% of the cases), even when metastases are present. However, for approximately 20% of patients where current salvage high-dose chemotherapy ultimately fails, new targeted approaches are not currently available. Thus, in the next future, a better understanding of TGCT molecular pathogenesis will likely lead to the development of novel tailored therapies for patients resistant to standard treatments and also to limit the short- and long-term toxic side-effects of chemotherapy.

Given the clinical relevance of TGCTs, the aim of this Special Issue is to collect studies describing novel molecular mechanisms able to induce the instauration and progression of TGCTs, with particular interest in those that can be used as innovative molecular biomarkers in both diagnosis and prognosis. Moreover, studies about new molecular approaches for characterizing the properties and alternative strategies for the treatment of TGCTs are also encouraged.

The articles that will be considered for publication are original studies, reviews, and technical advancements for tumor characterization and/or diagnosis.

Dr. Marco De Martino
Prof. Paolo Chieffi
Dr. Francesco Esposito
Guest Editors

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