Molecular Classification of Human Cancer and Its Role in Tailored Cancer Therapy

Dear Colleagues,

Human cancer has an increasing incidence and high mortality worldwide. The traditional diagnostic practice for this disease is based on histological patterns. Recent researches support the notion that cancer is not a single malignant disorder but rather a group of distinct molecular diseases. In the era of precision medicine with targeted therapies, there is an imperative need to overcome the limitations of the conventional classification system to accurately stratify patients to achieve maximum therapeutic efficacy. As such, many molecular diagnostic tests have been developed to identify the underlying genetic signatures and incorporate them into the conventional histopathological classification of cancer. Profiling of cancer has yielded a number of genetic, microRNA and proteomic markers for molecular classification. Newer approaches include, but are not limited to, cancer stem cells analysis and next-generation sequencing. Indeed, molecular classification has already been extensively applied to some types of cancer, such as the subtypes of luminal A and lumina B estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer, the subtypes of ALK- and EGFR-positive non-small cell lung cancer, the subtypes of WNT pathway and Sonic Hedgehog pathway medulloblastoma, etc. This special issue discusses the significance of molecular classification and its impact on the clinical setting for directing rational cancer therapy.

Dr. William Chi-shing Cho
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 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. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. 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.