The Journal of Translational Medicine is calling for submissions to our Collection on Fibrosis and Cancer Intersection.
The intersection of fibrosis and cancer will be a collection of scientific articles aiming to clarify the correlation between tissue fibrosis and cancer origination and progression. This idea is supported by an increasing body of scientific work exploring the relationship between cancer initiation and proliferation with the activity of fibroblasts, collagen production and distribution in the extracellular space, as well as signaling pathways, molecules, and other collagen-related factors. The interest in this topic has increased substantially in recent decades since the incidence of cancer developing in fibrotic organs like the liver and the lung has also augmented. For instance, the life expectancy in patients with pulmonary fibrosis have increased thanks in part to the success of the relatively new anti-fibrotic agents raising the question of how much tissue fibrosis is involved in cancer cell proliferation and longevity. Several studies have pointed out that the presence of a hypoxic environment produced by dense deposition of collagen fibers plays a role in tumor proliferation and metastasis.
Recent investigations have explored the interaction of specific types of collagen fibers in the differentiation and function of immune cells and their anti-tumoral responses. Similarly, some authors have suggested that certain cancer mutations or oncogenes may play a role in the activation and function of fibroblasts leading to modifications in the extracellular matrix that are favorable for cancer cells to grow and metastasize.
A scientific collection that can gather the work of researchers who are focused on increasing the understanding of the relationship between fibrosis and cancer development would be of great benefit for the medical scientific community since this knowledge could accelerate the development of new therapies to treat cancer while increasing the hostility of the cancer cells’ microenvironment by preventing or interfering with collagen deposition. This evidence could explain the development of tumoral resistance to immune defenses and existing or emergent anti-cancer therapies.
We would like the scope of this collection to cover cancers derived in fibrosis throughout the body. In addition, we look forward to articles that consider novel targeted treatments and optimization of early diagnosis with state-of-the-art imaging techniques.
