Bone and Soft Tissue Tumors: Molecular Mechanisms and Emerging Therapeutics
A special issue of Cells (ISSN 2073-4409).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 June 2026 | Viewed by 131
Special Issue Editor
Interests: molecular pathology; oncology; sarcoma; bone and soft tissue tumors; cancer/cell biology; chromosomal translocations; dysregulated signaling pathways; in vitro and in vivo models
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
We are pleased to invite you to contribute to the Special Issue titled “Bone and Soft Tissue Tumors: Molecular Mechanisms and Emerging Therapeutics”.
Sarcomas constitute a diverse and complex group of mesenchymal neoplasms that are generally associated with poor clinical outcomes. Although they account for less than 1% of all human malignancies, sarcomas represent the second most common type of solid tumors in children and adolescents. Their remarkable heterogeneity is evidenced by the identification of more than 100 distinct subtypes, each differing in their histopathology, clinical presentation, genomic and molecular characteristics, and therapeutic responsiveness. Clinical management remains highly challenging owing to their relative rarity, biological diversity, and frequently aggressive clinical behavior. Current treatment strategies remain anchored in multimodal regimens encompassing surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, immunotherapy, and/or molecularly targeted approaches. However, therapeutic progress has been constrained by frequent resistance, high recurrence rates, and a lack of reliable biomarkers for diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment response. Recent advances in genomic and molecular profiling have provided valuable insights into the pathogenesis of individual sarcoma subtypes, facilitating the identification of novel therapeutic targets and prognostic or predictive biomarkers.
The objective of this Special Issue is to compile cutting-edge research addressing the molecular hallmarks of bone and soft tissue tumors and the development of novel therapeutic concepts. Through the integration of fundamental and translational research, this collection aims to bridge remaining critical knowledge gaps concerning sarcoma-specific genetic/molecular vulnerabilities and to foster the translation of such novel insights into innovative and effective therapeutic strategies.
In this Special Issue, we welcome the submission of original research articles and comprehensive reviews. Potential topics may include, but are not limited to, the following:
(i) Molecular mechanisms underlying sarcoma initiation and progression (e.g., genetic and epigenetic alterations, dysregulated signaling pathways) with potential therapeutic implications;
(ii) Discovery and/or validation of novel molecular biomarkers for differential diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutic targeting;
(iii) Identification of genomic and molecular dependencies as specific vulnerabilities in sarcoma pathogenesis, informing the rational design of molecularly stratified therapies;
(iv) Mechanisms driving therapeutic resistance and metastasis, and their potential pharmacological exploitation.
We look forward to receiving your valuable contributions to this Special Issue.
Dr. Marcel Trautmann
Guest Editor
Lucas Scholl
Guest Editor Assistant
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 short 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. Cells 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 2700 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
- sarcoma
- bone and soft tissue tumors
- molecular pathology
- dysregulated signaling pathways
- genetic and epigenetic alterations
- therapeutic resistance
- novel molecular biomarkers
- therapeutic strategies
- in vitro and in vivo models
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