Emerging Trends in Global Cancer Epidemiology: 2nd Edition

A special issue of Cancers (ISSN 2072-6694). This special issue belongs to the section "Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 September 2025 | Viewed by 2641

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Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Interests: cancer epidemiology
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Cancer is a major public health challenge worldwide, with millions of new cases diagnosed every year. Understanding global trends in cancer incidence, mortality, prevalence, and survival across diverse populations is crucial in the field of cancer epidemiology and for identifying risk factors and potential preventive strategies. Over the past few decades, there have been many advances in cancer epidemiological research, including the use of large-scale data sets, new statistical methods, and innovative approaches to study design and analysis.

The goal of this Special Issue is to present an overview of the latest developments and trends in global cancer research. This Special Issue seeks to publish original research articles, reviews, and commentaries that highlight new and emerging trends in global cancer epidemiology. We also invite submissions on various topics related to the latest trends in global cancer epidemiology, including but not limited to the following:

  1. Cancer incidence, mortality, prevalence, and survival trends across different populations and geographic regions;
  2. Novel data sources and methods for cancer epidemiology research, including genomics, digital health, and machine learning;
  3. The impact of social, environmental, and lifestyle factors on cancer risk and outcomes, including the role of diet, physical activity, and air pollution;
  4. The effectiveness of cancer prevention and control strategies at the population level, including screening, early detection, and treatment;
  5. The challenges and opportunities related to cancer epidemiology research in the context of global health, including data quality, ethics, and equity.

This Special Issue on new trends in global cancer epidemiology will provide a platform for researchers and practitioners to share their latest findings, insights, and perspectives on cancer epidemiology research. This Special Issue will also contribute to the advancement of knowledge and understanding of cancer as a global health challenge and inform the development of effective cancer prevention and control strategies at the population level.

Dr. Syed Ahsan Raza
Guest Editor

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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. Cancers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

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Keywords

  • cancer epidemiology
  • global cancer research
  • incidence
  • prevention and control strategies
  • risk factors
  • data sources and methods
  • social and environmental impact
  • population health
  • emerging trends
  • survival and mortality

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 439 KiB  
Article
Impact of Screening on Mortality for Patients Diagnosed with Hepatocellular Carcinoma in a Safety-Net Healthcare System: An Opportunity for Addressing Disparities
by Kalyani Narra, Madison Hull, Kari J. Teigen, Vedaamrutha Reddy, Jolonda C. Bullock, Riyaz Basha, Nadia Alawi-Kakomanolis, David E. Gerber and Timothy J. Brown
Cancers 2024, 16(22), 3829; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers16223829 - 14 Nov 2024
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Abstract
Purpose: We describe the impact of screening on outcomes of patients diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in an urban safety-net healthcare system compared to a non-screened cohort diagnosed with HCC. Methods: Patients diagnosed with HCC at John Peter Smith Health Network were identified [...] Read more.
Purpose: We describe the impact of screening on outcomes of patients diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in an urban safety-net healthcare system compared to a non-screened cohort diagnosed with HCC. Methods: Patients diagnosed with HCC at John Peter Smith Health Network were identified by querying the hospital tumor registry and allocated to the screened cohort if they had undergone any liver imaging within one year prior to HCC diagnosis, while the remainder were allocated to the non-screened cohort. Kaplan–Meier methods and log-rank tests were used to compare 3-year survival curves from an index date of HCC diagnosis. Cox proportional hazard models were used to calculate unadjusted and adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The Duffy adjustment was used to address lead-time bias. Results: A total of 158 patients were included (n = 53 screened, n = 105 non-screened). The median overall survival (OS) for the screened cohort was 19.0 months (95% CI: 9.9–NA) and that for the non-screened cohort was 5.4 months (95% CI: 3.7–8.5) [HR death (non-screened vs. screened) = 2.4, 95% CI: 1.6-3.6; log rank p < 0.0001]. The benefit of screening remained after adjusting for lead-time bias (HR 2.19, 95% CI 1.4–3.3, p = 0.0002). Conclusions: In an urban safety-net population, screening for HCC was associated with improved outcomes compared to patients diagnosed with HCC outside of a screening protocol. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Trends in Global Cancer Epidemiology: 2nd Edition)
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Review

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33 pages, 6663 KiB  
Review
Vitamin D in Cancer Prevention and Treatment: A Review of Epidemiological, Preclinical, and Cellular Studies
by Siva Dallavalasa, SubbaRao V. Tulimilli, Vidya G. Bettada, Medha Karnik, Chinnappa A. Uthaiah, Preethi G. Anantharaju, Suma M. Nataraj, Rajalakshmi Ramashetty, Olga A. Sukocheva, Edmund Tse, Paramahans V. Salimath and SubbaRao V. Madhunapantula
Cancers 2024, 16(18), 3211; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers16183211 - 20 Sep 2024
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Abstract
Background: Inhibition of human carcinomas has previously been linked to vitamin D due to its effects on cancer cell proliferation, migration, angiogenesis, and apoptosis induction. The anticancer activity of vitamin D has been confirmed by several studies, which have shown that increased cancer [...] Read more.
Background: Inhibition of human carcinomas has previously been linked to vitamin D due to its effects on cancer cell proliferation, migration, angiogenesis, and apoptosis induction. The anticancer activity of vitamin D has been confirmed by several studies, which have shown that increased cancer incidence is associated with decreased vitamin D and that dietary supplementation of vitamin D slows down the growth of xenografted tumors in mice. Vitamin D inhibits the growth of cancer cells by the induction of apoptosis as well as by arresting the cells at the G0/G1 (or) G2/M phase of the cell cycle. Aim and Key Scientific Concepts of the Review: The purpose of this article is to thoroughly review the existing information and discuss and debate to conclude whether vitamin D could be used as an agent to prevent/treat cancers. The existing empirical data have demonstrated that vitamin D can also work in the absence of vitamin D receptors (VDRs), indicating the presence of multiple mechanisms of action for this sunshine vitamin. Polymorphism in the VDR is known to play a key role in tumor cell metastasis and drug resistance. Although there is evidence that vitamin D has both therapeutic and cancer-preventive properties, numerous uncertainties and concerns regarding its use in cancer treatment still exist. These include (a) increased calcium levels in individuals receiving therapeutic doses of vitamin D to suppress the growth of cancer cells; (b) hyperglycemia induction in certain vitamin D-treated study participants; (c) a dearth of evidence showing preventive or therapeutic benefits of cancer in clinical trials; (d) very weak support from proof-of-principle studies; and (e) the inability of vitamin D alone to treat advanced cancers. Addressing these concerns, more potent and less toxic vitamin D analogs have been created, and these are presently undergoing clinical trial evaluation. To provide key information regarding the functions of vitamin D and VDRs, this review provided details of significant advancements in the functional analysis of vitamin D and its analogs and VDR polymorphisms associated with cancers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Trends in Global Cancer Epidemiology: 2nd Edition)
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