Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
11.4
6.0
Journals
Cells
Special Issues
Cellular and Molecular Insights into Gynecologic Tumors
share announcement

Cellular and Molecular Insights into Gynecologic Tumors

A Special Issue of Cells (ISSN 2073-4409).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2026 | Viewed by 3795

Editors

Dr. Mladen Anđić

E-Mail
Guest Editor
1. Clinic for Gynecology and Obstetrics, University Clinical Centre of Serbia, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
2. Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Interests: infertility; reproductive endocrinology; IVF; myoma; gynecology; perinatology; pharmacogenetic; personalized medicine; PCOS; endometriosis
Prof. Dr. Jianjun Wei

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, 303 E. Superior Street, 4-117, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
Interests: cancer biology; cancer genetics; endometriosis; pathology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Gynecologic cancers, including ovarian, endometrial, and cervical tumors, remain major challenges in women’s health. Understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms driving these cancers is essential for improving diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment strategies. This Special Issue aims to explore recent advances in the biology of gynecologic tumors, with a focus on cancer stem cells, genetic mutations, and the tumor microenvironment. We welcome contributions that highlight molecular pathways involved in tumorigenesis, metastasis, and resistance to therapy, as well as emerging biomarkers for early detection. Studies that offer novel therapeutic approaches, including targeted treatments and immunotherapies, are also encouraged.

We look forward to advancing our understanding of gynecologic tumors through this collection of cutting-edge research.

Dr. Mladen Anđić
Prof. Dr. Jianjun Wei
Guest Editors

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-anonymized 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

  • gynecologic cancers
  • cervical cancer
  • endometrial cancer
  • ovarian tumors
  • tumor microenvironment
  • molecular biomarkers
  • genetic mutations
  • targeted therapies

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 (3 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

17 pages, 818 KB  
Article
Circulating microRNA Profiles as Diagnostic Tools for High-Grade Cervical Lesions and HPV Genotype Stratification
by Annika Tamenang, Vanessa Vohl, Charlotte Schwartz, Jolanthe Kropidlowski, Anna Jaeger, Katharina Hintelmann, Eik Vettorazzi, Yvonne Goy, Cordula Petersen, Sven Peine, Klaus Pantel, Barbara Schmalfeldt, Linn Woelber, Harriet Wikman and Katharina Effenberger
Cells 2026, 15(9), 849; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells15090849 - 6 May 2026
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 773
Abstract
Persistent high-risk human papillomavirus (hr-HPV) infection drives cervical carcinogenesis, yet improved molecular biomarkers are needed to define high-risk groups. Circulating microRNAs (miRNAs), stable in blood and involved in carcinogenic pathways, represent promising liquid biopsy biomarkers. This study assessed five miRNAs for distinguishing high-grade [...] Read more.
Persistent high-risk human papillomavirus (hr-HPV) infection drives cervical carcinogenesis, yet improved molecular biomarkers are needed to define high-risk groups. Circulating microRNAs (miRNAs), stable in blood and involved in carcinogenic pathways, represent promising liquid biopsy biomarkers. This study assessed five miRNAs for distinguishing high-grade squamous cell intraepithelial lesions (HSILs) and cervical cancer from healthy controls and for HPV stratification. Circulating miRNAs were quantified in blood samples from 80 women (38 HSIL, 10 cervical cancer, and 32 controls). Relative expression by disease and HPV status was measured by RT-qPCR and normalized to miRNA-23a. Diagnostic performance of single and combined miRNAs was evaluated by logistic regression and ROC curve analysis. Three circulating miRNAs (miR-21, miR-205, and miR-218) were found to be significantly differentially dysregulated in the patient cohorts. A combination of the three markers showed the best diagnostic value for HSIL (AUC of 0.81, sensitivity of 79%, and specificity of 71%) and cancer (AUC of 0.81, sensitivity of 90%, and specificity of 65%). Whereas miR-205 was significantly associated with HPV16/18 in HSIL patients, the combined model had the highest diagnostic performance for multiple HPV infections. Circulating miRNA signatures show promise as liquid biopsy biomarkers for detecting cervical dysplasia and stratifying for HPV status in HSIL, warranting validation in larger prospective studies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cellular and Molecular Insights into Gynecologic Tumors)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

21 pages, 3897 KB  
Article
Surface Engineering of NK Cells with Poly-L-Glutamic Acid Enhances Tumor-Selective Immunotherapy Against Ovarian Cancer
by Yoonbum Park, Ashok Kumar Jangid, Kyung Mu Noh, Eunha Kim, Chae Eun Lee and Kyobum Kim
Cells 2026, 15(9), 800; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells15090800 - 28 Apr 2026
Viewed by 829
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells are promising effectors for cancer immunotherapy, as they can recognize and eliminate tumor cells without prior antigen sensitization. However, insufficient tumor recognition remains a critical limitation that reduces the anticancer efficacy of NK cells against solid tumors. To address [...] Read more.
Natural killer (NK) cells are promising effectors for cancer immunotherapy, as they can recognize and eliminate tumor cells without prior antigen sensitization. However, insufficient tumor recognition remains a critical limitation that reduces the anticancer efficacy of NK cells against solid tumors. To address this limitation, we developed a lipid-mediated cell membrane engineering strategy to enhance the targeting and cytotoxic efficacy of NK cells toward solid tumors, particularly ovarian cancer cells. In this strategy, poly-L-glutamic acid (PLE) was employed as an ovarian cancer-targeting module due to the specific affinity of PLE for cholesterol-rich membrane domains. To display PLE on NK cells, a lipid moiety is incorporated to anchor PLE onto the NK cell membrane via hydrophobic insertion, enabling rapid and non-genetic surface modification. As a result, the surface-engineered NK cells with PLE-Lipid (i.e., PLE-NK) displayed PLE on the NK cell surface, allowing direct recognition of ovarian cancer cells without compromising the intrinsic properties of NK cells. This enhanced recognition subsequently increased NK–cancer cluster formation by promoting interactions between membrane-presented PLE on NK cells and cholesterol on ovarian cancer cells. Consequently, PLE-NK cells exhibited enhanced cytotoxicity against ovarian cancer cells (i.e., OVCAR-3 cells) and effectively disrupted 3D tumoroids, while PLE-NK cells showed no off-target effects on normal fibroblasts. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that PLE-Lipid-mediated NK surface engineering provides a simple and effective strategy to improve the tumor targeting ability of NK cells and offers a promising platform for NK cell-based immunotherapy against ovarian cancer. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cellular and Molecular Insights into Gynecologic Tumors)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

21 pages, 3031 KB  
Article
The Effects of BRCA1 and BRCA2 Promoter Methylation on Clinicopathological Characteristics and Clinical Outcomes in HGSOC
by Katarina Živić, Ivana Boljević, Milica Nedeljković, Milana Matović, Radmila Janković and Miljana Tanić
Cells 2026, 15(3), 277; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells15030277 - 1 Feb 2026
Viewed by 1429
Abstract
Ovarian cancer is a highly lethal disease. Tumors with a deficiency in the homologous recombination repair pathway (HRD) resulting from mutations in BRCA1/2 genes have a favorable response to platinum-based chemotherapy and targeted therapy with PARP inhibitors (PARPi) mediated by synthetic [...] Read more.
Ovarian cancer is a highly lethal disease. Tumors with a deficiency in the homologous recombination repair pathway (HRD) resulting from mutations in BRCA1/2 genes have a favorable response to platinum-based chemotherapy and targeted therapy with PARP inhibitors (PARPi) mediated by synthetic lethality. Promoter methylation of BRCA1/2 genes was previously associated with HRD, but little is known about whether it translates to clinical benefit. Here, we evaluated the prevalence of BRCA1/2 promoter methylation in HGSOC patients from Serbia and examined their clinicopathological characteristics and the effect on progression-free and overall survival. Using methylation-specific PCR, we screened for hypermethylation in the promoter region of BRCA1/2 genes in a cohort of 244 patients. We found fully methylated BRCA1 and BRCA2 promoter in 4.1% and 0.45% of patients, and 23.36% and 11.21% intermediately methylated cases, respectively. Full BRCA1/2 promoter methylation was significantly associated with younger age of onset (55 and 58 years, respectively) compared to BRCA1/2-mutated cases, suggestive of BRCAness phenotype. However, in the exploratory analysis of 68 patients with clinical follow-up, we did not find a strong survival advantage for BRCA1/2 methylated over BRCA1/2-intact cases, yet more moderate effects cannot be ruled out due to the cohort size. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cellular and Molecular Insights into Gynecologic Tumors)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-3
Back to TopTop