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Reprogrammed metabolism is a hallmark of cancer. Here, Li, Zhang and colleagues describe how signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) proteins alter cancer cell metabolism by sensing and transducing signals from the tumour environment and modulating signalling pathways, transcription factors, mitochondrial proteins and enzymes.
In a study in Nature, Wang et al. describe how circadian rhythms can impact tumour suppression through their effects on dendritic cells, a finding that could help to optimize clinical trials of cancer immunotherapies.
As well-established players in the metastatic cascade, circulating tumour cells (CTCs) hold promise for improved cancer diagnosis and disease monitoring. In this Review, Ring et al. overview the current understanding of CTC biology, highlighting specific opportunities and vulnerabilities for future CTC-focused therapies.
Genes encoding DNA damage response factors are frequently mutated in cancer, causing genomic instability and presenting opportunities for therapeutic intervention. This Review discusses state-of-the-art strategies for DNA damage response inactivation using small-molecule inhibitors.
Two recent studies have demonstrated how senescent cancer cells alter their cell surface proteome to induce anti-tumour immune responses, highlighting the potential therapeutic role of inducing senescence to improve anti-tumour immunity.
Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the sixth most common cancer worldwide and its incidence continues to rise, mostly owing to an increase in human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. In this Review, the authors describe HPV-positive and HPV-negative HNSCC tumour microenvironments and discuss current and novel treatment modalities.
In this study, Cao et al. identified previously undiscovered metabolites produced by human gut microbes that cause DNA damage, and analysed their implication for colorectal cancer development.
Schmitt et al. describe an adaptive mechanism employed by colorectal cancers to handle pro-apoptotic chemotherapeutic insults, which could represent a targetable vulnerability with combination therapy.
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas are characterized by a robust stromal reaction. This Review discusses how the evolution of the epithelium in pancreatic cancers is coordinated with a programme of stromal progression; this comprehensive picture of tumour development might, in turn, point to new therapeutic vulnerabilities.
In this Perspective, Wahida et al. consider six riddles in precision oncology that must be solved to achieve better clinical responses to molecular targeted therapies.
This Review covers recent advances in intravital imaging of mammalian models of cancer and describes how intravital imaging can help to understand the role of the tumour microenvironment in cancer progression and metastasis, and to develop novel treatments and therapies.
Notarangelo et al. reveal that the oncometabolite d-2-hydroxyglutarate, which is released in high quantities by tumour cells, is taken up by CD8+ T cells in the tumour microenvironment and blocks their proliferation and cytotoxicity by inhibition of lactate dehydrogenase and metabolic reprogramming.
Social media has revolutionized health-care communication across medicine, particularly in the field of oncology. In this Comment, Manochakian and Dizon highlight the role of social media in promoting patient-driven cancer research to benefit all.
In two studies published concurrently, Dohlman et al. and Narunsky-Haziza et al. have found strong correlative links between the prevalence of fungal DNA and cancer.
The activation of DNA damage tolerance (DDT) pathways as part of the replication stress response to DNA damage is key for maintaining genome integrity and, as a result, these pathways are closely linked to tumorigenesis. In this Review, Cybulla and Vindigni discuss the many connections between DDT, replication stress and cancer, detail opportunities for clinical biomarker development, and outline therapeutic strategies for targeting these pathways.
Three-dimensional bioprinted cancer models could revolutionize understanding and treatment of cancer. Neufeld, Yeini and Pozzi discuss how such models can reveal novel biomarkers and drug targets, illuminate mechanisms of tumorigenesis and interactions between tumour, stromal and immune cells, and advance personalized cancer therapy.
‘Ductal carcinoma in situ’ (DCIS) describes abnormal cells in the milk ducts. DCIS is often non-invasive, although a small proportion of cases leave the ducts and progress to invasive breast cancer. This Review discusses the existing data for distinguishing progressive and non-progressive DCIS, with a focus on informing current disease management strategies.
The gut microbiota has been shown to regulate responses to various cancer therapies, and the microbial species involved and their underlying mechanisms have begun to be unravelled. In this Perspective, Fernandes and colleagues present this evidence and then outline how it could be used to develop microbiota-based therapies for patients with cancer.
