The Molecular Pathogenesis of Lung Cancer: From Oncogenic Drivers to Tumor Microenvironment
A special issue of Cancers (ISSN 2072-6694). This special issue belongs to the section "Cancer Pathophysiology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 24 August 2026 | Viewed by 189
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
This Special Issue explores the molecular pathogenesis of lung cancer from oncogenic drivers to the tumor microenvironment (TME), with a strong emphasis on immunotherapy and immunotherapy-based combination strategies. Oncogenic programs not only initiate and sustain malignant growth but also reshape antigen presentation, interferon signaling, metabolism, and stromal–immune interactions, thereby influencing immune phenotypes and determining sensitivity or resistance to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). We welcome mechanistic and translational studies that link driver-associated genomic alterations—including somatic SNVs/indels, copy-number alterations, structural variants, and gene mutations (e.g., EGFR mutations/amplicons, ALK rearrangements), as well as co-alterations such as STK11 and KEAP1—to immune evasion, immune exclusion, and ICI outcomes, and that propose actionable approaches to overcome therapy resistance. We encourage submissions on predictive biomarkers beyond PD-L1 (including genomic features and TME signatures) and clinically interpretable models that guide patient stratification for ICI monotherapy or rational combinations (e.g., dual checkpoint blockade and other immunomodulatory regimens). Studies leveraging single-cell/spatial multi-omics, functional genomics, and validated computational/AI frameworks are particularly welcome when they advance immunotherapy decision-making.
Dr. Bin Xu
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.
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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
- lung cancer
- oncogenic drivers
- tumor microenvironment
- immune checkpoint inhibitors
- immunotherapy resistance
- predictive biomarkers
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