Clinical Pathology in Cancer: From Diagnosis to Precision Medicine

A special issue of Biomedicines (ISSN 2227-9059). This special issue belongs to the section "Cell Biology and Pathology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2026 | Viewed by 771

Editor

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Traditionally, pathologists have been regarded as the gatekeepers of cancer diagnostics. In the rapidly evolving era of targeted therapy, pathology has evolved into one of the cornerstones of precision cancer medicine. The advances in molecular biology have tremendously affected the practice of pathology, transforming it from a solely morphology-based discipline into a molecular-based one. Molecular testing in pathological specimens is increasingly being incorporated into daily practice, serving not only as a tool for the accurate diagnosis, but also for the assessment of clinically relevant biomarkers with prognostic and predictive value to tailor therapeutic interventions (next generation pathology).

This Special Issue aims to focus on advanced diagnostic approaches, cancer biomarkers and molecular tests in cancer pathology. We are happy to invite pathologists and researchers to submit original research articles, comprehensive reviews and case reports to this Special Issue.

You may choose our Joint Special Issue in Cancer.

Prof. Dr. Georgia Levidou
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • cancer biomarkers
  • precision medicine
  • histopathology
  • clinical pathology
  • diagnosis
  • prognostic/predictive biomarker

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

22 pages, 752 KB  
Article
Chronic Air Pollution Exposure and the Immunomolecular Profile of Lung Cancer: A Regional Cohort Study
by Denisa-Gabriela Ion-Andrei, Andreea Barde, Cristina Cioti, Izabela Ciofu, Ștefan Dumitrache-Rujinski, Oana Cristina Arghir, Cristian Opariuc-Dan and Elena Danteș
Biomedicines 2026, 14(7), 1615; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines14071615 - 17 Jul 2026
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Abstract
Background/Objectives: Air pollution is progressively acknowledged not only as a carcinogenic exposure, but also as a potential modulator of tumor immune activation and molecular heterogeneity in lung cancer. However, integrated analyses combining long-term environmental exposure, molecular biomarkers and immune phenotype remain limited, especially [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Air pollution is progressively acknowledged not only as a carcinogenic exposure, but also as a potential modulator of tumor immune activation and molecular heterogeneity in lung cancer. However, integrated analyses combining long-term environmental exposure, molecular biomarkers and immune phenotype remain limited, especially in Eastern European populations. Methods: We conducted a regional retrospective study including patients diagnosed with lung cancer in Constanța County, Romania. Prolonged atmospheric pollution exposure over an average period of 15 years was estimated using historic environmental monitoring data. Tumor samples were assessed for histopathological subtype, PD-L1 expression and EGFR status, while ALK and KRAS alterations were descriptively analyzed because of the limited number of positive cases. Multivariate ordinal and binary logistic regression models and predicted probability analyses were used to evaluate the association between chronic pollution exposure, PD-L1 expression and EGFR positivity. Results: Chronic NO2 exposure was significantly associated with increased PD-L1 expression (OR = 1.035, p = 0.017), suggesting an association between NO2 exposure and an immune-related tumor phenotype. Similar trends were observed for PM10, NO and NOx exposures. Exploratory associations were observed between EGFR positivity and carbon monoxide exposure. Conclusions: Chronic atmospheric pollution was associated with differences in the immune and molecular profile of lung cancer. Long-term exposure to selected pollutants was associated with variations in PD-L1 expression and EGFR status, suggesting that environmental factors may contribute to tumor heterogeneity. However, causal relationships cannot be established from this retrospective observational study. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Clinical Pathology in Cancer: From Diagnosis to Precision Medicine)
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