Trends in cancerPub Date : 2026-08-01Epub Date: 2026-06-20DOI: 10.1016/j.trecan.2026.05.008
Jaromir Novak, Denisa Hortova, Berwini Endaya, Magdalena Krulova, Michael V Berridge, Jiri Neuzil
{"title":"Horizontal mitochondrial transfer and the tug-of-war between cancer cells and immune cells.","authors":"Jaromir Novak, Denisa Hortova, Berwini Endaya, Magdalena Krulova, Michael V Berridge, Jiri Neuzil","doi":"10.1016/j.trecan.2026.05.008","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.trecan.2026.05.008","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Horizontal mitochondrial transfer (HMT) is an emerging field of cell biology. Since its discovery, HMT has been extensively studied in the context of cancer due to the essential role of mitochondria in fueling the proliferation of tumor cells. The role of HMT in cancer, however, reaches far beyond a simple mechanism of organelle acquisition. Indeed, several recent studies have demonstrated HMT from cancer to immune cells and vice versa, with a profound impact on antitumor immune responses and potentially on immunotherapy efficacy. In this opinion article, we propose that HMT should receive attention as another modulatable mechanism of the functional tug-of-war between cancer and immune cells, further contributing to the complexity of the tumor microenvironment and likely sculpting the outcome of competition between the two teams of cells.</p>","PeriodicalId":23336,"journal":{"name":"Trends in cancer","volume":" ","pages":"699-707"},"PeriodicalIF":21.6,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148296446","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: 2026-07-13DOI: 10.1016/j.trecan.2026.06.013
Shuyi Mi, Qiwen Wang, Dingjiacheng Jia
{"title":"Microbial bile acids: Immunomodulatory signals in the tumor microenvironment.","authors":"Shuyi Mi, Qiwen Wang, Dingjiacheng Jia","doi":"10.1016/j.trecan.2026.06.013","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.trecan.2026.06.013","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Microbial metabolites can act as systemic signals that connect gut dysbiosis to tumor immune remodeling. Recently, Li et al. showed that gut microbiota-derived deoxycholic acid activates the farnesoid X receptor-nuclear factor κB-interleukin-6 axis in breast cancer cells, promoting the recruitment of granulocytic myeloid-derived suppressor cells, T helper polarization, and tumor progression. These findings offer new insights into microbial bile acid signaling in the tumor microenvironment.</p>","PeriodicalId":23336,"journal":{"name":"Trends in cancer","volume":" ","pages":"689-691"},"PeriodicalIF":21.6,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148437796","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: 2026-07-13DOI: 10.1016/j.trecan.2026.06.014
Glori Das, Hong Zhao, Stephen T C Wong
{"title":"Neural checkpoint therapy in lung cancer.","authors":"Glori Das, Hong Zhao, Stephen T C Wong","doi":"10.1016/j.trecan.2026.06.014","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.trecan.2026.06.014","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Sensory nerves are emerging as regulators of tumor immunity. A newly identified Nav1.8+ neuron-calcitonin gene-related peptide axis in lung adenocarcinoma links nociceptive signaling to impaired tertiary lymphoid structure formation and immune escape, suggesting that neural checkpoint blockade may help remodel immune-cold tumors and improve immunotherapy responses (Ho et al.).</p>","PeriodicalId":23336,"journal":{"name":"Trends in cancer","volume":" ","pages":"681-683"},"PeriodicalIF":21.6,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13372209/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148437775","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: 2026-05-07DOI: 10.1016/j.trecan.2026.04.003
Christine Sanganoo, Ilaria Caturegli, Zachary Mattes, Jordan Ryan, Wilson W Wong, Mark W Grinstaff
{"title":"Bioengineered systems to exploit tumor microenvironment metabolism.","authors":"Christine Sanganoo, Ilaria Caturegli, Zachary Mattes, Jordan Ryan, Wilson W Wong, Mark W Grinstaff","doi":"10.1016/j.trecan.2026.04.003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.trecan.2026.04.003","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Our understanding of cancer metabolism has afforded the opportunity to develop therapies specific to tumor metabolic dysregulation. While molecular therapeutics targeting cancer metabolism have found success in the clinic, bioengineering approaches are nascent. Here, we describe key metabolic pathways and their genetic dysregulations in the tumor microenvironment (TME) that are ripe for intervention. We examine bioengineered biomaterial and cellular systems that harness the metabolic and immune landscape of the TME to target metabolic dependencies of tumor growth. These therapeutic strategies include, for example, preventing the uptake of essential metabolites, delivering metabolic inhibitors, and restoring an immunostimulating environment. With a focus toward clinical applications and tolerability, we identify key limitations and conclude with future directions.</p>","PeriodicalId":23336,"journal":{"name":"Trends in cancer","volume":" ","pages":"769-789"},"PeriodicalIF":21.6,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13533483/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147856790","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: 2026-05-14DOI: 10.1016/j.trecan.2026.04.007
Giulia Lori, Caterina Mancini, Erica Pranzini, Francesca Magherini, Maria L Taddei
{"title":"Amino acid metabolism at the senescence-cancer interface.","authors":"Giulia Lori, Caterina Mancini, Erica Pranzini, Francesca Magherini, Maria L Taddei","doi":"10.1016/j.trecan.2026.04.007","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.trecan.2026.04.007","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Amino acid (AA) metabolism plays a fundamental role in the regulation of cellular senescence. Through profound AA metabolic reprogramming, senescent stromal cells can sustain tumor progression, metastatic dissemination, and the establishment of an immunoevasive microenvironment. Conversely, alterations in AA availability within the tumor microenvironment can enforce tumor-suppressive senescence in malignant cells. In this review, we discuss how senescence-driven rewiring of AA metabolism shapes tumor-stroma interactions and immune responses. We propose that AA-targeted interventions may represent an effective therapeutic strategy to simultaneously mitigate the detrimental effects of stromal senescence while inducing tumor-suppressive senescence in cancer cells.</p>","PeriodicalId":23336,"journal":{"name":"Trends in cancer","volume":" ","pages":"741-754"},"PeriodicalIF":21.6,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147942865","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: 2026-07-10DOI: 10.1016/j.trecan.2026.06.011
Flavie Naulin, Lorenzo Galluzzi
{"title":"A novel mechanism of autophagy-dependent immunosuppression in cancer?","authors":"Flavie Naulin, Lorenzo Galluzzi","doi":"10.1016/j.trecan.2026.06.011","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.trecan.2026.06.011","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Autophagy underlies several immunosuppressive mechanisms that collectively endow cancer cells with prominent immunoevasive features. Recent data from Hoslett et al. demonstrate that a specialized variant of autophagy commonly known as nucleophagy actively removes PARP1 molecules trapped on DNA upon pharmacological inhibition, mediating robust cytoprotective and possibly immunosuppressive effects.</p>","PeriodicalId":23336,"journal":{"name":"Trends in cancer","volume":" ","pages":"686-688"},"PeriodicalIF":21.6,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148424513","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 : 2026-07-30DOI: 10.1016/j.trecan.2026.07.002
Zhi Xu, Kequan Xu, Yi Ju, Xi Chen, Yufeng Yuan
{"title":"Immune cell metabolic reprogramming mediates ICI therapy resistance.","authors":"Zhi Xu, Kequan Xu, Yi Ju, Xi Chen, Yufeng Yuan","doi":"10.1016/j.trecan.2026.07.002","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trecan.2026.07.002","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have revolutionized the treatment of advanced malignancies; however, their efficacy in solid tumors remains limited by therapy resistance. This resistance arises from the metabolic reprogramming of immune cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME), a metabolic 'cage' where immune and cancer cells compete for nutrients. Immune effector cells succumb to metabolic exhaustion amid nutrient competition, whereas immunosuppressive cells augment inhibitory functions via metabolic adaptation, collectively mediating tumor immune evasion. This review systematically delineates the metabolic reprogramming features of immune cells in the TME, dissects the molecular mechanisms governing ICI resistance, and summarizes combination strategies targeting metabolic pathways to reverse resistance, providing theoretical and translational insights for optimizing cancer immunotherapy.</p>","PeriodicalId":23336,"journal":{"name":"Trends in cancer","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":21.6,"publicationDate":"2026-07-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148631638","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 : 2026-07-28DOI: 10.1016/j.trecan.2026.07.001
Shijia Li, Richard E Champlin, Michael L Wang
{"title":"Evolution of mantle cell lymphoma therapy: advancing frontline precision.","authors":"Shijia Li, Richard E Champlin, Michael L Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.trecan.2026.07.001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trecan.2026.07.001","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Frontline treatments for mantle cell lymphoma were historically dictated by age and fitness for intensive chemoimmunotherapy and autologous stem cell transplantation. While yielding high response rates, these approaches are associated with treatment-related morbidity and disease relapse. The therapeutic landscape is trending toward biological precision. This review highlights the timely frontline integration of novel targeted agents that directly challenge the need for traditional consolidative transplants while de-escalating or even sparing chemotherapy. Measurable residual disease is increasingly used to identify early relapses and inform the duration and individualization of therapy. By integrating targeted and immune-engaging therapeutics with optimized maintenance to deepen responses and prolong survival, these advancements aim to maximize long-term remission while minimizing toxicity.</p>","PeriodicalId":23336,"journal":{"name":"Trends in cancer","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":21.6,"publicationDate":"2026-07-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148607955","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 : 2026-07-09DOI: 10.1016/j.trecan.2026.06.008
Lei Ren, Chunfeng Liu, Wangsheng Chen, Yinchun Wang, Gerhard Rammes, Peter H Neckel, Andreas Klingl, Rouzanna Istvanffy, Helmut Friess, Güralp O Ceyhan, Qingqiang Yang, Ihsan Ekin Demir
{"title":"Neuron-tumor communication in solid tumors: from bona fide synapses to pseudo-synaptic neural interfaces.","authors":"Lei Ren, Chunfeng Liu, Wangsheng Chen, Yinchun Wang, Gerhard Rammes, Peter H Neckel, Andreas Klingl, Rouzanna Istvanffy, Helmut Friess, Güralp O Ceyhan, Qingqiang Yang, Ihsan Ekin Demir","doi":"10.1016/j.trecan.2026.06.008","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trecan.2026.06.008","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Neuron-tumor communication is emerging as a distinct layer of tumor-host interaction beyond conventional stromal, vascular, and immune regulation. Recent studies show that malignant cells can detect neuronal activity and convert neural signals into growth-promoting cellular responses. In the brain, glioma cells can become electrically integrated into neuronal circuits, where glutamatergic input drives depolarization, calcium influx, and downstream signaling. In extracranial tumors, neural influence appears more heterogeneous, involving spatially organized neurochemical niches, receptor-enriched cancer-nerve contacts ('pseudo-synapses'), autonomic pathways, and injury-associated neuroimmune remodeling. These findings raise important questions about how neural input regulates tumor cell state, metabolism, immune tone, and therapeutic adaptation. This review evaluates the evidence linking neural activity to cancer progression across anatomical contexts and outlines the experimental standards needed to distinguish structured neuron-tumor interfaces from broader neural effects within the tumor microenvironment.</p>","PeriodicalId":23336,"journal":{"name":"Trends in cancer","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":21.6,"publicationDate":"2026-07-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148424562","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 : 2026-07-01Epub Date: 2026-05-30DOI: 10.1016/j.trecan.2026.05.002
Francheska Cadacio, Anthony Turpin, Pedro M Rodrigues, Florian Castet, Angela Lamarca, John Bridgewater, Jesús M Bañales, Teresa Macarulla, Tian V Tian
{"title":"Circulating tumor DNA in biliary tract cancers: challenges, opportunities, and clinical readiness.","authors":"Francheska Cadacio, Anthony Turpin, Pedro M Rodrigues, Florian Castet, Angela Lamarca, John Bridgewater, Jesús M Bañales, Teresa Macarulla, Tian V Tian","doi":"10.1016/j.trecan.2026.05.002","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.trecan.2026.05.002","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Biliary tract cancers have a poor prognosis, with tumor location and desmoplasia often restricting tissue acquisition for molecular profiling. Circulating tumor DNA is a minimally invasive alternative with expanding clinical utility, although technical and standardization challenges limit its routine adoption. We review evidence, limitations, and strategies supporting large-scale validation for real-time monitoring and personalized treatment.</p>","PeriodicalId":23336,"journal":{"name":"Trends in cancer","volume":" ","pages":"575-579"},"PeriodicalIF":21.6,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148102028","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}