Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
8.8
4.4
Journals
Cancers
Special Issues
Cancer Metastasis in 2025–2026
cancers-logo
Submit to Special Issue Submit Abstract to Special Issue Review for Cancers Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

► Journal Menu

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser
share announcement

Cancer Metastasis in 2025–2026

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2026 | Viewed by 1564

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Lance A. Liotta

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Systems Biology, Center for Applied Proteomics and Molecular Medicine, George Mason University, 10900 University Boulevard, MS 4E3, Manassas, VA 20110, USA
Interests: proteomics; biotechnology; metastasis; personalized medicine
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The topic of this Special Issue is cancer metastasis, the lethal aspect of malignant neoplasms. Recently, there has been a surge of discoveries addressing critical mechanistic questions about individual steps within the complicated process of metastasis. Nevertheless, there is much we do not know about this insidious property of cancer. For this Special Issue, we broadly invite investigators to submit original research articles, or opinion pieces, on any aspect of metastasis biology or the clinical treatment of metastasis. Example topics include (but are not limited to) the following: (a) transition from pre-malignant to invasive cancer, (b) molecular mechanisms of invasion and cancer cell plasticity, (c) immune cooperation/suppression of metastasis, (d) lymphatic versus hematogenous spread, tumor suppression of the draining lymph node, (e) extravasation and circulating tumor cells, (f) clonal evolution and stem-like cells in metastasis, (g) bone metastasis, (h) personalized treatment of metastasis, (i) dormancy of metastasis, (j) exosome biology and metastasis, (k) clinical detection of metastasis, and (l) immunotherapy of metastasis.

Prof. Dr. Lance A. Liotta
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

  • immunotherapy
  • tumor suppression
  • cancer metastasis
  • invasion

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.

Published Papers (2 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review

17 pages, 1349 KB  
Article
Status of Pulmonary Metastasectomy After PuLMiCC Trial: A Survey Amongst Oncologists, Gynecologists, Urologists and Dermatologists on Medical Needs for Local Therapy
by Daniel Baum, Markus Grafe, Rahel Decker, Lysann Rostock, Andreas Friedrich and Till Plönes
Cancers 2025, 17(24), 3959; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers17243959 - 11 Dec 2025
Abstract
Background: The role of pulmonary metastasectomy has been increasingly questioned in the surgical community after the PulMiCC trial challenged its benefit in colorectal cancer. However, the view on pulmonary metastasectomy among people in non-surgical disciplines remains unclear. This study explored interdisciplinary attitudes toward [...] Read more.
Background: The role of pulmonary metastasectomy has been increasingly questioned in the surgical community after the PulMiCC trial challenged its benefit in colorectal cancer. However, the view on pulmonary metastasectomy among people in non-surgical disciplines remains unclear. This study explored interdisciplinary attitudes toward pulmonary metastasectomy and identified the clinical expectations shaping its future role. Methods: An anonymous online survey of active board-certified physicians in oncology, urology, gynecology and dermatology was conducted (December 2024–June 2025). Twenty items covered attitudes to local ablative therapy, referral criteria, preferred modalities and future relevance. Group comparisons used Pearson’s χ2; ordinal ratings were compared by one-way ANOVA; associations were explored with Spearman’s ρ. Results: Of 2884 contacted physicians, 165 participated (≈5.7%), and 106 completed the questionnaire. All 106 (100%) endorsed local ablative therapy as meaningful; 92/106 (86.8%) favored routine integration into multimodal care. Surgical metastasectomy was selected by 49/106 (46.2%), SBRT was selected by 27/106 (25.5%) and image-guided ablation was selected by 7/106 (6.6%); preference for surgery differed by specialty (χ2(4) = 15.31, p = 0.004), while institutional availability (in-house thoracic surgery or radiation oncology) showed no association with selecting surgery or SBRT. Key referral determinants were number of lesions (105/106; 99.1%), anatomical location (86/106; 81.1%; p < 0.02 across specialties), and lesion size (81/106; 76.4%; p < 0.05); other factors showed no consistent inter-specialty differences. The perceived usefulness of metastasectomy was high (mode 8/10) and showed a weak, non-significant correlation with referral experience (ρ = 0.172, p = 0.077). Looking ahead, 46/106 (43.4%) anticipated a declining role of local ablative therapy with novel systemic therapies; interest in biomarker analysis from metastatic tissue compared to primary tumor tissue was very high 97/106 (91.5%). Conclusions: Local ablative therapy, particularly pulmonary metastasectomy, continues to be viewed as an integral and trusted element of metastatic disease management across specialties. Despite limited prospective evidence, clinicians maintain strong confidence in its clinical value and foresee its evolution toward biologically and patient-tailored indications. However, the interpretation of these findings is limited by a low response rate and potential selection bias toward European, academically affiliated respondents. To our knowledge, this is the first study to systematically capture perceptions of pulmonary metastasectomy among non-surgical oncology-related specialists. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cancer Metastasis in 2025–2026)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

18 pages, 509 KB  
Review
Impact of Anti-HER2 Therapies on Overall Survival in Patients with HER2-Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer: Focusing on Intracranial Efficacy of Emerging Treatments
by Denise Drittone, Claudia Lucci, Luisa Esposito, Federica Mazzuca and Simona Pisegna
Cancers 2025, 17(21), 3520; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers17213520 - 31 Oct 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1316
Abstract
Therapies targeting human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) have substantially improved overall survival in patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer. Approximately 31% of these patients develop brain metastases, representing a significant therapeutic challenge. This review classifies anti-HER2 therapies into three categories: monoclonal [...] Read more.
Therapies targeting human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) have substantially improved overall survival in patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer. Approximately 31% of these patients develop brain metastases, representing a significant therapeutic challenge. This review classifies anti-HER2 therapies into three categories: monoclonal antibodies (MABs), antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), and tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). The mechanisms of action and clinical impacts of these agents are examined, with particular attention to intracranial efficacy. The introduction of trastuzumab increased overall survival (OS) from 20.3 to 25.1 months compared to chemotherapy alone. The addition of pertuzumab further extended survival to 57.1 months, as demonstrated in the CLEOPATRA trial. Among ADCs, T-DM1 improved OS to 29.9 months versus 25.9 months in the EMILIA trial, while T-DXd extended OS to 52.6 months in DESTINY-Breast03. T-DXd also demonstrated notable intracranial activity, achieving a 64.9% objective response rate in patients with active brain metastases. In the HER2CLIMB trial, tucatinib reduced intracranial progression by 68% and improved OS (24.7 vs. 19.2 months) in patients with active brain metastases. Recent advances have increased median OS from approximately 20 months prior to trastuzumab to over 50 months with current therapies. Future research should focus on optimizing treatment sequencing, refining biomarker-driven approaches, and developing targeted strategies for brain metastases to further improve long-term survival outcomes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cancer Metastasis in 2025–2026)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-2
Back to TopTop