Browse Articles

Three papers assess the mutational landscapes of human tumours, and all three find evidence for a role of APOBECs.

Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) remain steeped in mystery and controversy — how do we identify them? How are they recruited to the tumour microenvironment? How do they suppress antitumour immunity? This Timeline article discusses the discovery of MDSCs and what we know now — and need to know in the future — about the role of MDSCs in cancer biology.

What can we learn about cancer stem cells and tumour tissue hierarchy from what we know about stem cells? Read this Opinion article to find out how our knowledge of normal stem cells applies to cancer stem cells in solid tumours.

This Review discusses mechanisms of resistance to 'classical' cytotoxic chemotherapeutics and molecularly targeted therapies, which share many features. It is hoped that an improved understanding of the molecular basis of resistance will lead to rational drug combinations and predictive biomarkers.

Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) is commonly altered — through mutation, overexpression or translocation — in many types of cancer, but the role of ALK signalling in mammalian cells and tumours remains enigmatic. What can we learn from model systems? And what progress has been made in targeting this receptor tyrosine kinase?

Krüppel-like factor (KLF) transcriptional regulators have diverse functions in many cancer-relevant processes. This Review discusses the context-dependent roles for KLFs in different cancers and identifies key questions for the field.

A novelin vivogenome-wide RNAi screening method in mice provides insights into the biology of skin growth and skin carcinogenesis.

Leandro Cerchietti, Ari Melnick and colleagues present evidence that DNA methyltransferase inhibitors (DNMTIs) might be one route through which to improve the outcome for patients with diffuse large B cell lymphoma who have a high risk of relapse.

Two recent papers have uncovered important roles for the receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) AXL in both resistance to inhibitors of the ERBB family of RTKs and inflammation-induced tumorigenesis.

This paper shows that apoptosis induced by cisplatin relies on signals that involve MDM2, MDMX, p53, NOXA and TAB1.

The authors identify a CCR8–CCL1 paracrine pathway that promotes the entry of melanoma cells from lymphatic vessels into the lymph node.

Ross Cagan and colleagues have usedDrosophila melanogasterto try to better understand the molecular basis for the links between type 2 diabetes and an increased risk of the development of certain types of cancer.

Resistance to therapies that target vascular endothelial growth factor may be mediated by an interleukin-17 signalling pathway in the tumour microenvironment.