Fitness, Fate and Opportunities in Cancer Evolution

Dear Colleagues,

Over the past few decades, scientists and clinicians have uncovered fundamental features of cancer evolution. For example, cancer is driven by genetic mutations and other molecular alterations that confer a selective growth advantage. We have also discovered that tumors are dynamic ecosystems in which cancer cells interact with each other, the stroma, the immune system, and the microenvironment. Although evolutionary theory has illuminated cancer biology, many onco-evolutionary processes remain obscure. Which molecular mechanisms—including genetic, epigenetic, proteomic, metabolic, microenvironmental, and others—impact cancer cell fitness? What are the environmental conditions that determine the fate of a cancer cell lineage? Can we identify therapeutic opportunities arising from cancer evolutionary dynamics?

Our scientific tactics continue to evolve as well. The next generation of studies will utilize interdisciplinary approaches as well as novel technologies and models to delineate cancer evolution. For this Special Issue, we welcome both original research articles and reviews that focus on the cancer evolution of any tumor type, stage, organism, or model. The goals are to diversify our scientific approaches, increase our evolutionary knowledge, and to ultimately improve how we diagnose and treat patients.

Dr. Alvin Makohon-Moore
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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• cancer evolution
• heterogeneity
• fitness
• microenvironments
• pre-cancerous lesions
• carcinogenesis
• metastasis