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 20
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
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Cancers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- autophagy
- apoptosis
- cancer progression
- cell death pathways
- therapeutic resistance
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
