Trends in cancerPub Date : 2026-09-01Epub Date: 2026-08-04DOI: 10.1016/j.trecan.2026.07.004
Elizabeth A White
{"title":"Lightning doesn't strike twice in HPV-positive adenosquamous carcinoma.","authors":"Elizabeth A White","doi":"10.1016/j.trecan.2026.07.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.trecan.2026.07.004","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Cancers containing histologically distinct cell populations could arise from multiple transforming events, from transdifferentiation late in tumor evolution, or from a single progenitor cell. Poulain and colleagues show that glandular and squamous cells in adenosquamous carcinomas caused by human papillomavirus infection are descendants of a common ancestor.</p>","PeriodicalId":23336,"journal":{"name":"Trends in cancer","volume":" ","pages":"796-797"},"PeriodicalIF":21.6,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148702456","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Trends in cancerPub Date : 2026-08-21DOI: 10.1016/j.trecan.2026.07.009
Vincent J Guen, Robert A Weinberg
{"title":"Cancer cell plasticity: new insights from developmental programs.","authors":"Vincent J Guen, Robert A Weinberg","doi":"10.1016/j.trecan.2026.07.009","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trecan.2026.07.009","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Tumors represent a heterogeneous set of neoplastic diseases, each composed of an intricate network of cancer cells residing in multiple alternative phenotypic states. Transitions between these phenotypic states, often termed 'phenotypic plasticity', enable them to execute specific steps in tumor progression and to develop therapeutic resistance. The phenotypic plasticity of tumor cells is mediated, in part, by cellular processes that orchestrate normal embryonic development and are hijacked by tumors. In this review, we discuss the contributions of these developmental programs to cancer cell phenotypic plasticity. We focus on epithelial-mesenchymal transition and ciliogenesis programs and discuss new insights into the mechanistic roles of these cellular processes in cancer progression and response to treatment.</p>","PeriodicalId":23336,"journal":{"name":"Trends in cancer","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":21.6,"publicationDate":"2026-08-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148798503","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Trends in cancerPub Date : 2026-08-11DOI: 10.1016/j.trecan.2026.07.006
Bianca Calì, Daniela Brina, Viola Moscarda, Anna Kohl, Federica Cetti, Silvia Bressan, Andrea Alimonti
{"title":"Prostate cancer: evading immunity, inspiring therapy.","authors":"Bianca Calì, Daniela Brina, Viola Moscarda, Anna Kohl, Federica Cetti, Silvia Bressan, Andrea Alimonti","doi":"10.1016/j.trecan.2026.07.006","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trecan.2026.07.006","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Prostate cancer (PCa) remains one of the most prevalent and lethal cancers in men, particularly in its metastatic form. Despite therapeutic advancements, resistance to therapy often leads to a castration-resistant state with genetic and molecular alterations that promote immune evasion and disease progression. Chronic inflammation and the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME) further exacerbate immune dysfunction. The suboptimal clinical success of current immunotherapies in advanced PCa underscores the urgent need to better understand the mechanisms underlying immune escape during disease progression and in response to therapeutic interventions. This review explores the key immune-evasive features of PCa, the contribution of the TME, and the immunotherapeutic strategies that have been clinically evaluated to improve outcomes in patients with advanced disease.</p>","PeriodicalId":23336,"journal":{"name":"Trends in cancer","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":21.6,"publicationDate":"2026-08-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148713811","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Trends in cancerPub Date : 2026-08-11DOI: 10.1016/j.trecan.2026.07.003
Anna Wolters, Maarten Bijlsma, Jai Prakash
{"title":"Precision targeting of stromal states in pancreatic cancer: a clinical perspective.","authors":"Anna Wolters, Maarten Bijlsma, Jai Prakash","doi":"10.1016/j.trecan.2026.07.003","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trecan.2026.07.003","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Desmoplastic stroma defines pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), a highly lethal malignancy. This stroma drives tumor progression, immune evasion, drug resistance, and poor drug delivery. Although targeting tumor stroma has shown preclinical promise, most clinical trials have failed due to limited translational success. A major hurdle is the stroma's extreme heterogeneity and dynamic nature, meaning uniform treatments fail. Emerging evidence supports the existence of distinct 'stromal states' with differential biological functions and therapeutic vulnerabilities. Characterizing these states provides a framework to stratify patients and guide precise, stroma-directed therapies. This review summarizes the clinical landscape of PDAC stroma-targeting strategies, discusses distinct stromal states, and outlines emerging opportunities to exploit the stroma as a therapeutic axis in PDAC to improve clinical trial outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":23336,"journal":{"name":"Trends in cancer","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":21.6,"publicationDate":"2026-08-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148713814","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Trends in cancerPub Date : 2026-08-01Epub Date: 2026-05-27DOI: 10.1016/j.trecan.2026.04.005
Stephan Kamrad, Nicola Gagliani, Trevor D Lawley, Kiran R Patil, Joseph Tintelnot
{"title":"Gut microbial metabolites for potentiating cancer therapy.","authors":"Stephan Kamrad, Nicola Gagliani, Trevor D Lawley, Kiran R Patil, Joseph Tintelnot","doi":"10.1016/j.trecan.2026.04.005","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.trecan.2026.04.005","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The gut microbiome exerts distant and local effects on tumours, healthy epithelial cells, and the immune system through the production of bioactive metabolites. This influences cancer therapy responses across treatment modalities and cancer types. In this review, we discuss promising approaches to boost beneficial microbiota-derived metabolites to enhance existing cancer therapies, including prebiotics, probiotics, postbiotics, and live biotherapeutic products. Each approach faces challenges in achieving physiological concentrations and tissue distribution, as well as different regulatory regimes and commercial landscapes. With promising early clinical trials and significant scientific and commercial activity in these areas, there is hope that targeted, metabolite-focused interventions will soon benefit cancer patients.</p>","PeriodicalId":23336,"journal":{"name":"Trends in cancer","volume":" ","pages":"725-740"},"PeriodicalIF":21.6,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148043874","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Trends in cancerPub Date : 2026-08-01Epub Date: 2026-06-11DOI: 10.1016/j.trecan.2026.05.006
Derick Okwan-Duodu, Bo Li, Edgar Engleman
{"title":"Mitochondrial transfer reveals an organellar layer of cancer ecology.","authors":"Derick Okwan-Duodu, Bo Li, Edgar Engleman","doi":"10.1016/j.trecan.2026.05.006","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.trecan.2026.05.006","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Tumors are ecological systems shaped by continuous exchange with surrounding cells. The transfer of functional mitochondria, which reprograms malignant behavior, introduces a distinct layer to this ecology. Cancer evolution may proceed not solely through mutation and selection but also through the horizontal assimilation of organellar traits acquired from neighboring cells.</p>","PeriodicalId":23336,"journal":{"name":"Trends in cancer","volume":" ","pages":"692-694"},"PeriodicalIF":21.6,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13386575/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148219639","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Trends in cancerPub Date : 2026-08-01Epub Date: 2026-05-12DOI: 10.1016/j.trecan.2026.04.004
Xiao-Hui Zhu, Liang Huang, Pu Tian, Zhi-Ming Shao, Yi Xiao
{"title":"Deciphering tumor metabolites: emerging technologies shaping clinical implications.","authors":"Xiao-Hui Zhu, Liang Huang, Pu Tian, Zhi-Ming Shao, Yi Xiao","doi":"10.1016/j.trecan.2026.04.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.trecan.2026.04.004","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Metabolites exert pleiotropic effects that govern tumor progression. This review evaluates current platforms and technologies for metabolite detection, alongside emerging strategies for functional research. These innovations have identified novel metabolites and revealed their previously unrecognized functions in tumor biology. Furthermore, the integration of advanced algorithms has facilitated the clinical application of metabolites in diagnosis, patient stratification, and therapeutic target discovery. However, critical limitations remain, particularly related to methodological constraints and tumor metabolic heterogeneity. We, therefore, outline a forward-looking vision underscoring the need for next-generation technologies and deep learning frameworks to enhance functional insights and clinical translation.</p>","PeriodicalId":23336,"journal":{"name":"Trends in cancer","volume":" ","pages":"708-724"},"PeriodicalIF":21.6,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147933940","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Trends in cancerPub Date : 2026-08-01Epub Date: 2026-07-09DOI: 10.1016/j.trecan.2026.06.010
Eric E Gardner, Carl M Gay
{"title":"Exclusion of immune cells by vascular gates.","authors":"Eric E Gardner, Carl M Gay","doi":"10.1016/j.trecan.2026.06.010","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.trecan.2026.06.010","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Neuroendocrine carcinomas, including small cell lung cancers, are notable for their immune desert phenotype, even with the addition of immunotherapies. While this has been attributed to absent antigen presentation, Wang and colleagues demonstrate the existence of a vascular barrier that limits T cell infiltration and physically underlies this phenotype.</p>","PeriodicalId":23336,"journal":{"name":"Trends in cancer","volume":" ","pages":"684-685"},"PeriodicalIF":21.6,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148424542","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Trends in cancerPub Date : 2026-08-01Epub Date: 2026-06-25DOI: 10.1016/j.trecan.2026.06.005
Jingyu Xue, Tianyi Lu, Kailin Yang, Alexander Birbrair, Shengtao Zhou
{"title":"An immunological panacea for cancer-related cachexia.","authors":"Jingyu Xue, Tianyi Lu, Kailin Yang, Alexander Birbrair, Shengtao Zhou","doi":"10.1016/j.trecan.2026.06.005","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.trecan.2026.06.005","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Cancer cachexia, responsible for up to 30% of cancer deaths, has transitioned conceptually from a mere nutritional deficit into a highly coordinated, multi-organ immunometabolic network that systematically dismantles host homeostasis. This review synthesizes the paradigm-shifting discoveries that position the immune system as the central conductor of tissue wasting. We delineate how redundant inflammatory cascades, neuro-immune circuits, and local cellular plasticity converge to drive muscle and adipose catabolism. Furthermore, we dissect the metabolic competition for nutrients between tumor cells and host immunity, which accelerates structural degradation. Finally, we highlight how single-cell multiomics, spatial transcriptomics, and artificial intelligence are redefining clinical stratification, shifting the therapeutic horizon toward individualized, multi-node immunometabolic interventions, thereby providing a theoretical framework for the management of cachectic wasting syndrome.</p>","PeriodicalId":23336,"journal":{"name":"Trends in cancer","volume":" ","pages":"755-768"},"PeriodicalIF":21.6,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148319257","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Trends in cancerPub Date : 2026-08-01Epub Date: 2026-06-05DOI: 10.1016/j.trecan.2026.05.004
Jessica M Grant, Cui Tu, Kate E Roberts, Fernando Souza-Fonseca-Guimaraes
{"title":"Pseudomyxoma peritonei and the microbiome: Emerging observations and unanswered questions.","authors":"Jessica M Grant, Cui Tu, Kate E Roberts, Fernando Souza-Fonseca-Guimaraes","doi":"10.1016/j.trecan.2026.05.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.trecan.2026.05.004","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Pseudomyxoma peritonei is a rare, heterogeneous appendiceal cancer characterized by mucus-secreting tumor cells. Evidence suggests a microbial association, though its significance remains unclear. This forum article synthesizes links among microbial communities, mucin biology, and tumor behavior, highlighting key research challenges and how spatial multiomics may clarify disease mechanisms and therapeutic opportunities.</p>","PeriodicalId":23336,"journal":{"name":"Trends in cancer","volume":" ","pages":"695-698"},"PeriodicalIF":21.6,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148176922","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}