Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of Malignant Nervous System Cancers

A special issue of Cancers (ISSN 2072-6694). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Cancer Biology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 October 2025 | Viewed by 105

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Biology, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, TN 37132, USA
Interests: biology; medulloblastoma

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Cancers of the central and peripheral nervous system commonly affect children, adolescents, and young adults. While some may be benign and lead to favorable outcomes, others are aggressive, difficult to treat, and can lead to death. The majority of cancers that arise within the central nervous system are gliomas and medulloblastomas, while the most common extracranial nervous system cancer is neuroblastoma. Significant strides have been made over the last ten years to rigorously characterize these three nervous system cancers, paving the way for the identification of new and improved therapies. However, given the complex and heterogeneous nature of these malignancies, more work is needed to close the survival gap.

This Special Issue aims to improve our understanding of malignant nervous system cancers by combining contemporary research that illuminates current and emerging mechanisms of tumorigenesis, progression, maintenance, and treatment. Research on the cellular and molecular mechanisms of gliomas, medulloblastomas, and neuroblastomas is the key to identifying novel therapeutic avenues to explore, making current therapies less toxic and with fewer side effects, and overcoming resistance associated with high-risk diseases.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following range of topics relevant to malignant nervous system cancers: diagnostic and prognostic marker identification, tumor microenvironment and heterogeneity, resistance mechanisms, targeted therapies, epigenetics, and fundamental biology related to the genetic risk factors associated with the disease.

I look forward to receiving your contributions,

Dr. April Weissmiller
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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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

  • medulloblastoma
  • pediatric glioma
  • neuroblastoma
  • diagnosis and prognostic markers
  • IDH, TERT, and EGFR mutations
  • DNA methylation
  • treatment approaches and strategies (chemotherapy, radiation therapy, immunotherapy, and targeted therapy)
  • resistance mechanisms
  • tumor microenvironment
  • molecular characteristics of tumor heterogeneity

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Published Papers

This special issue is now open for submission.
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