Molecular Diagnostic and Prognostic Markers of Human Cancers
A special issue of Genes (ISSN 2073-4425). This special issue belongs to the section "Human Genomics and Genetic Diseases".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 June 2024 | Viewed by 149
Special Issue Editor
Interests: molecular pathology; molecular diagnostics; precision medicine oncology; cancer immunotherapy
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Cancer is a collection of several diseases that contribute significantly to morbidity and mortality worldwide. An accurate diagnosis is critical for detecting malignancies in their initial stages before they metastasize and become resistant to treatment. Precision medicine describes the ability to customize personalized medical care to individual patients through the incorporation of molecular profiles and clinical characteristics in treatment determination utilizing molecular diagnostics and targeted therapies.
Diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers are a valuable tool for cancer screening and for monitoring disease progression and recurrence. Moreover, molecular biomarkers can predict the response or resistance to a certain therapeutic modality along with potential adverse events, thus enabling individualized oncology treatments. Indeed, personalized oncology practices incorporate the clinicopathological parameters and molecular signature of each type of cancer when determining the best option for individual patients' targeted therapies.
Molecular targeted treatments for cancer rely on developing small molecule drugs and monoclonal antibodies that disrupt the cancer cell’s signaling pathways responsible for sustaining proliferative activities, evading growth suppressors, resisting apoptosis, enabling replicative immortality, inducing angiogenesis, and activating invasion and metastasis.
We aim to highlight recent discoveries in the field of molecular diagnostics and the identification of novel molecular targets that fuel the development of innovative targeted therapies for cancer.
Dr. Hilal Arnouk
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 short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
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. Genes is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2600 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
- molecular diagnostics
- molecular pathology
- precision medicine oncology
- diagnostic biomarkers
- prognostic biomarkers
- therapeutic targets
- genomics
- proteomics
Planned Papers
The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.
Title: The Molecular Biomarker Cornulin and its Diagnostic and Prognostic Utility in Squamous Cell Carcinomas
Authors: -
Affiliation: -
Abstract: The prevalence of squamous cell carcinoma is increasing, and efforts that aid in an earlier diagnosis are crucial to improve prognostic outcomes for patients. Cornulin, a squamous epithelium-specific protein, has recently garnered attention due to its implications in the progression of several types of squamous cell carcinoma. As an epidermal differentiation marker and a member of the fused gene protein family, it is involved in skin anchoring, regulating cellular proliferation, and is a putative tumor suppressor. The physiologically healthy squamous epithelium displays a considerable level of Cornulin, whereas squamous cell carcinomas have marked downregulation, suggesting that Cornulin expression levels can be utilized for early detection and follow up on the development of these types of cancer. Cornulin's expression patterns in cervical cancer have been examined, and numerous findings support the aforementioned differential expression observation. Additional studies suggest a similar change in expression occurs with other types of cancer, such as cutaneous and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas. The consistent and predictable patterns of Cornulin expression across several squamous cell carcinomas make it a reliable biomarker for assessing the transformation and progression events in squamous epithelia. Thus, contributing to the early detection, definitive diagnosis, and accurate prognosis for these cancer patients.
