Autophagy and Apoptosis in Cancer Progression
A special issue of Cancers (ISSN 2072-6694). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Cancer Biology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2026 | Viewed by 1435
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Autophagy and apoptosis are key cellular programs that shape tumor initiation, progression, and therapeutic response. While several reviews have discussed their canonical interactions, substantial gaps remain regarding how these pathways integrate within specific tumor ecosystems, evolve under selective pressures, and generate clinically relevant phenotypes. In contrast to previous literature, which has largely emphasized general mechanistic crosstalk, this Special Issue highlights tumor-type specificity, spatial and metabolic constraints, and therapy-induced remodeling of autophagy–apoptosis dynamics, integrating molecular pathology with advanced multi-omics technologies. Particular attention will be dedicated to how these pathways govern intratumoral heterogeneity, immune microenvironmental adaptation, stress-driven dedifferentiation, and resistance to targeted agents, immunotherapies, and conventional treatments. Moreover, this Special Issue aims to provide updated frameworks for biomarker development by incorporating digital pathology, single-cell profiling, and functional readouts that capture cell-death plasticity more accurately than traditional models. By unifying mechanistic, diagnostic, and translational perspectives, the Special Issue will not revisit established concepts but will instead define emerging vulnerabilities and therapeutic opportunities arising from context-dependent regulation of autophagy and apoptosis. Ultimately, it seeks to advance the understanding of how these pathways influence cancer behavior within real tumor architectures and clinical scenarios, with the goal of improving precision oncology strategies.
Dr. Antonio Ieni
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- autophagy
- apoptosis
- cancer progression
- cell death pathways
- therapeutic resistance
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