Molecular Research on Gynecological Cancers: Ovarian Cancer, Endometrial Cancer, and Gestational Trophoblastic Disease
A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Oncology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 December 2024 | Viewed by 5583
Special Issue Editors
Interests: histopathology; gynecological cancers; breast cancer; molecular biology; tissue regeneration; stem cell biology
Interests: pathology; cancer research; gynecological cancers; neuroendocrine tumors; immuno-oncology; tumor microenvironment; complement system
Interests: pathology; cancer research; gynecological cancers; gestational trophoblastic disease; breast cancer; feto-placental pathology; perinatal pathology
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Ovarian and endometrial cancers are the most prevalent and deadliest gynecological malignancies worldwide, constituting a great challenge for all who participate in patient diagnosis and treatment. Over recent years, conventional therapeutic options, such as surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy, have been overcome by emerging approaches, allowing development towards a more comprehensive overview of cancer etiology and evolution. Advances in the treatment of gynecological neoplasms have fueled passionate debate in conversations including not only surgeons, oncologists, and radiotherapists, but also other professional figures, such as pathologists, molecular biologists, and geneticists. Thus, multi-disciplinarity has become the ace in the hole in terms of establishing increasingly personalized treatments. Patients life expectancy is rising, opening new questions for the management of cancer survivors.
Although relatively rare, gestational trophoblastic disease represents another serious public health issue for women of reproductive age. In particular, tumors arising from extraembryonic tissues are extraordinary with respect to their fetal origin (semi-allograft) and the maternal tissue matrix (endomyometrium) that supports their growth. Gestational trophoblastic disease consists of well-defined diagnostic entities of a proliferative disorder of the placenta, of which hydatidiform moles are common lesions. Even with available ancillary studies, including ploidy and immunohistochemistry analyses, histological diagnosis of molar pregnancies can be challenging in a significant percentage of the cases. PCR-based short-tandem repeat DNA genotyping has emerged as a powerful ancillary tool for the precise diagnosis and subclassification of gestational trophoblastic diseases, particularly hydatidiform moles. As lesions of gestational origin, the inherited paternal genome, with or without copy number alterations, is the fundamental molecular basis for the diagnostic applications of DNA genotyping. Genotyping is now considered the gold standard in confirming and subtyping sporadic hydatidiform moles. Beyond hydatidiform moles, DNA genotyping also has fundamental applications in the diagnosis or prognostic assessment of gestational trophoblastic tumors, particularly gestational choriocarcinoma.
Malignant transformation in gestational trophoblastic tumors is likely a multistep process involving multiple genetic alterations, as with other human cancers, and may involve the activation of oncogenes and inactivation of tumor suppressor genes. In addition, expression of telomerase activity, altered expression of cell–cell adhesion molecules, and abnormal expression of matrix metalloproteinases have also been reported in gestational trophoblastic disease. These represent the disruption of the delicate balance and regulation of cellular processes, including proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, and invasion.
In this Special Issue, we invite experts in the field to review the current diagnostic, therapeutic, and experimental models of gynecological cancers. We invite the submission of research articles that help to clarify the mechanisms underlying tumor heterogeneity/microenvironment, the diverse molecular signatures of gynecological cancers (epigenome, immune landscape, dysregulation of phylogenetically conserved signaling pathways), and the relative contribution of cancer stem cells. Additionally, we welcome studies conducted to unveil the molecular alterations exhibited by tumor cells, the proposal of novel targets for cancer therapy, and the mechanisms of action of drugs and drug candidates (including off-target effects and drug repurposing). In addition, we aim to promote the diffusion of review articles that highlight new findings in the above areas and underline similarities or cross-comparisons between gynecological cancers and other human malignancies.
Dr. Laura Mariuzzi
Dr. Alessandro Mangogna
Dr. Maria Orsaria
Guest Editors
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Keywords
- ovarian cancer
- endometrial cancer
- gestational trophoblastic disease
- prognostic factors
- oncogenes
- molecular genetics and genomics
- DNA genotyping
- cancer stem cells
- epigenomics
- signaling pathways
- extracellular vesicles
- tumour heterogeneity
- tumour microenvironment
- immune checkpoint inhibitors
- new targets
- molecular target
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