Cancer at Nature Portfolio

Milestones | Cancer Milestones

Nature Genetics & Nature Medicine December 2020

The ancient physician Hippocrates described the projection of blood vessels from a collection of cells as ‘karkinos’, the Greek word for crab. Today, we know this malignant growth as cancer. Although it remains one of our biggest killers, survival rates for several tumour types have improved dramatically in recent years. These Milestones celebrate two decades of breakthroughs in basic, translational and clinical research which have revolutionised our understanding and management of cancer. 

Focus | Gastrointestinal cancer and obesity

Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology October 2018

The global obesity epidemic has well-known detrimental implications on future disease burden and public health. Compelling evidence now shows that excess body weight is also associated with an increased risk of developing a number of cancers, most of which are in the gastrointestinal system.

This Collection of articles accompanies a special Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology Focus issue on gastrointestinal cancer and obesity, and includes Review and Comment articles from researchers and clinicians at the forefront of this field. These articles summarize new knowledge in the epidemiology of obesity and gastrointestinal cancer, and the potential mechanisms underlying these associations involving gut microbiota-mediated inflammation, energy balance and interactions between the tumour microenvironment and visceral obesity. They also highlight key unanswered questions, future research directions and initiatives that aim to address the problem of obesity and cancer. As public and scientific interest in this topic is growing, this Collection provides a timely resource for all those involved in this fast-moving field.

 Focus | Haematological cancer

Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology and Nature Reviews Cancer October 2018

Haematological cancer encompasses many diverse malignancies characteristically involving the blood, lymphoid organs, and bone marrow.  Owing in large part to the ease of tumour sampling, breakthroughs in cancer research and therapy are often pioneered in haematological cancers. These include the discovery of key molecular drivers, the development of targeted therapy, progress towards risk-adapted treatment strategies based on molecular risk factors or minimal residual disease status, and exciting clinical innovations, such as genetically engineered T cells. Improvements in our understanding and management of haematological cancers are continuing at a rapid pace. Thus, Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology and Nature Reviews Cancer have collated this special Collection of articles on haematological cancers as a resource for students, researchers, and clinicians who wish to be kept abreast of this fast-moving field.

 Focus | The tumour microenvironment

Nature Reviews Cancer September 2018

The tumour mass consists not only of a heterogeneous population of cancer cells but also a variety of resident and infiltrating host cells, secreted factors and extracellular matrix proteins, collectively known as the tumour microenvironment. Tumour progression is profoundly influenced by interactions of cancer cells with their environment that ultimately determine whether the primary tumour is eradicated, metastasizes or establishes dormant micrometastases. The tumour microenvironment can also shape therapeutic responses and resistance, justifying the recent impetus to target components of the tumour microenvironment, which is best exemplified by the success of immune checkpoint inhibitors in the clinic.

This Collection of the most recently published articles from Nature Reviews Cancer showcases the diverse aspects of tumour microenvironment research, and we hope it will be a valuable resource to research scientists, clinicians and students interested in this field.

 Focus | Cancer Immunotherapy

Nature Communications June  2018

Immunotherapy is the most promising new cancer treatment of the last years. By re-awakening and enhancing the immune system to fight cancer, such strategies have achieved impressive clinical responses. However, many cancer types still do not respond to immunotherapy and many patients do not receive durable benefit, eventually developing resistance.

Broadening the clinical applicability of cancer immunotherapy requires a deep understanding of the molecular and genetic mechanisms that influence whether cancer cells resist or respond. With the ultimate goal to expand the benefits of immunotherapy and find actionable strategies to combat therapeutic resistance, an increasing number of studies are now testing in pre-clinical models different combinations with other therapies, including targeted therapies, and nanoparticle-based approaches. Furthermore, significant efforts are underway to identify reliable predictive biomarkers of response and resistance to immunotherapy such as checkpoint inhibitors.

Our collection, which has been curated by the Cancer editorial team at Nature Communications, brings together cutting-edge important research in the field of cancer immunotherapy published in our journal. The collection is divided into four research areas; mechanisms of resistance, combination therapies, nanocomplex, and predictors of response. We aim to provide insights on future directions for new therapeutic development in this important area, recognizing the value of bench-based and pre-clinical studies as a first step to translation to the clinic and patient care.

Focus | Cancer immunotherapy 

Nature Reviews Immunology March 2018

Cancer immunotherapy – the targeting or use of immune system components to kill tumour cells – can take many forms, including antibodies, vaccines and T cells. This Focus issue from Nature Reviews Immunology features three Review articles that highlight some of the most promising recent developments in this field: the use of checkpoint inhibitors for molecules such as PD1; the drive towards increased personalization of tumour vaccines; and the use of vaccines for prevention as well as cure. In addition, three Opinion articles discuss how the local tumour microenvironment can be manipulated to improve the efficacy of immunotherapy, by normalizing the tumour vasculature, through local immunomodulation using synthetic, scaffold-based immune niches, and by targeting tumour glycosylation. 

Special resource | A community map of cancer immunity 

Immunotherapy is influenced by a complex set of tumour, host and environmental factors. Such factors combine to characterise the immunological status — or cancer–immune set point — of an individual. 

Collection and Webcast | Cancer evolution

A collection highlighting the most recent research and review articles published on cancer evolution covered from different complementary angles.

Focus | Tumour metabolism

This Focus on Tumour metabolism comprises specially-commissioned articles that tackle the metabolism of key nutrients and metabolic reprogramming that are important in tumour growth and survival, while also considering implications for the clinic.