Targeting Cancer Cell Invasion and Metastasis: From Molecular Mechanisms to Therapeutic Opportunities

Dear Colleagues,

Despite recent therapeutic advances in cancer treatment, metastasis, the movement of tumor cells from a primary site to progressively colonize distant organs, is a principal cause of cancer death. Hence, the development of novel therapeutic approaches to effectively inhibit metastasis, as well as target metastatic lesions, is urgently needed.

The aberrant invasion signaling pathways that are activated in metastasis-initiating cells underlie the establishment of metastatic process. Importantly, metastatic cancer cells engage in bidirectional interactions with metastatic microenvironments to alter the extracellular environments, genomic stability, survival signaling, and antitumor immunity, which could eventually result in immuno-, radio-, and chemotherapeutic resistance. Thus, understanding how various regulatory mechanisms are abnormally regulated and sustaining metastasis during these interactions will be of utmost importance.

The current Special Issue invites contributions that provide novel aspects (original research articles and timely reviews) related to cancer metastasis, with special focus, but not limited to: the insights that describe the genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and posttranslational modifications-related proteomics with respect to the biology of cancer metastasis; the identification of novel therapeutic targets and mechanisms, for example those that involve ubiquitination, glycosylation, and cell death, for invasion and metastasis based on new strategies (e.g., CRISPR Screening), as well as the ‘linkers’ between cancer chemo-/radio-resistance and metastasis; investigation of the mechanisms involved in the biology of metastasis-initiating cells that results in tumor growth in distant organs, evasion of immune surveillance and co-option of metastatic microenvironments, especially how the cell membrane receptors (e.g., integrins and other glycoproteins) orchestrate metastasis and how the metastatic cells remodel the extracellular matrix; research topics focusing on efforts enabling therapeutic advances (e.g., combining novel therapeutic approaches with existing modalities) in treating both micro- and macrometastases, especially the personalized therapy. Contributions on other significant topics that further enhance our understanding of the biology of cancer invasion and metastasis are also welcome.

Dr. Qinglei Hang
Prof. Dr. Aidong Zhou
Prof. Dr. Jongchan Kim
Dr. Hongqi Teng
Guest Editors

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