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Call for papers - Rare cancers

Guest Editors

Atif A. Ahmed, MD, University of Washington, Seattle Children’s Hospital, USA 
Bruna Samia Dalmasso, MD, PhD, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Italy 

Submission Status: Open   |   Submission Deadline: 6 September 2024


BMC Cancer is calling for submissions to our Collection on Rare cancers. We are interested in submissions that address key aspects of rare cancer research, including diagnostics, treatment strategies, and prognosis tools for rare cancer types such as hepatoblastoma, neuroendocrine tumors (NET), gall bladder cancer, Kaposi sarcoma, male breast cancer, retinoblastoma, vaginal cancers and more.

Meet the Guest Editors

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Atif A. Ahmed, MD, University of Washington, Seattle Children’s Hospital, USA

Dr Atif Ali Ahmed is a Professor of pediatric pathology at Seattle Children's Hospital, USA. He graduated from medical school in 1988, completed pathology residency and fellowship training in the US and is board-certification in Anatomic, Clinical and Pediatric Pathology. He has been in academic practice for more than 20 years with clinical and research experience in pediatric pathology. His research interests include pediatric tumors, bone pathology, and pediatric cancer biology, and he has authored over 100 academic publications including peer-reviewed articles, books and meeting abstracts. He is a member of the Children’s Oncology Group, the American Association for Cancer Research, the American Society of Human Genetics, and the College of American Pathologists. 

Bruna Samia Dalmasso, MD, PhD, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Italy 

Dr Bruna Samia Dalmasso, MD, PhD, is Medical Consultant at the Genetics of Rare Cancers Unit of IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy. She received her Medical Degree at the University of Genoa. After specializing in Internal Medicine, she completed her doctoral training in Cancer Genetics. 

Her research activity includes the identification of genetic determinants of cancer risk, as well as the influence of germline variants on cancer evolution and response to treatment, with a particular focus on melanoma, pancreatic cancer and rare cancers.

About the Collection

Rare cancer, defined as a cancer with fewer than six cases per 100,000 per year, are traditionally understudied. These cancers pose a particular challenge for researchers. With fewer clinical trials and limited data for reference, they can be difficult to diagnose and treat with certainty. In light of these challenges, BMC Cancer is launching a Collection on Rare cancers to highlight new and recent research on a range of rare cancer related topics, including but not limited to:

  • Rare cancer types
  • The incidence, prevalence, and factors contributing to the development of rare cancers
  • Innovative approaches and diagnostic tools that enable early detection and accurate diagnoses
  • Novel treatment modalities, targeted therapies, immunotherapies, and precision medicine
  • Genetic and molecular underpinnings of rare cancers
  • Findings from clinical trials and translational research


Please note that BMC Cancer is not considering case reports. You will find a full list of articles types considered at the journal here.

Image credit: Dvarg / stock.adobe.com

  1. Biliary tract cancers (BTCs) are rare and lethal cancers, with a 5-year survival inferior to 20%(1–3). The only potential curative treatment is surgical resection. However, despite complex surgical procedures ...

    Authors: Monica Niger, Federico Nichetti, Lorenzo Fornaro, Chiara Pircher, Federica Morano, Federica Palermo, Lorenza Rimassa, Tiziana Pressiani, Rossana Berardi, Andrea Casadei Gardini, Elisa Sperti, Lisa Salvatore, Davide Melisi, Francesca Bergamo, Salvatore Siena, Stefania Mosconi…
    Citation: BMC Cancer 2024 24:436
    Content type: Study Protocol Published on:

Submission Guidelines

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This Collection welcomes submission of original Research Articles. Should you wish to submit a different article type, please read our submission guidelines to confirm that type is accepted by the journal. Articles for this Collection should be submitted via our submission system, Snapp. During the submission process you will be asked whether you are submitting to a Collection, please select "Rare cancers" from the dropdown menu.

Articles will undergo the journal’s standard peer-review process and are subject to all of the journal’s standard policies. Articles will be added to the Collection as they are published.

The Editors have no competing interests with the submissions which they handle through the peer review process. The peer review of any submissions for which the Editors have competing interests is handled by another Editorial Board Member who has no competing interests.