**Preface to "Molecules at Play in Cancer"**

The spectacular evolution of molecular and genomic technologies, supported by advanced mathematical and bioinformatics analytical tools, allows for both a deep understanding of the intimate mechanisms of cancerization and the exploration of novel anti-cancer therapeutic avenues. With these in mind, I proposed to the MDPI journal *Current Issues in Molecular Biology* (*CIMB*) a Special Issue dedicated to advances in cancer molecular etiology and treatment.

"Molecules at Play in Cancer"is a collection of 24 articles presenting recent findings about molecules with significant roles either in the malignancy, development, and proliferation of cancer cells or in their selective killing within an affected organ. This reprint covers a wide range of tissues affected by cancer: adrenal glands (Takizawa et al.), blood (Seipel et al.; Łacina et al.), breasts (Monti et al.; Maldonado-Rodr´ıguez et al.; Bel'Skaya and Sarf), cervix (Zhang et al.), kidneys (Fereira et al.), liver (Tsuchiya et al.; Armakolas et al.), lungs (Barbirou et al.; Hayashi et al.; Sultana et al.; Somlyai et al.), muscles (Gutierez et al.), ovaries (Kim et al; Jeon et al.), prostate (Iacobas and Iacobas), stomach (Liu et al.; Go et al.), and testicles (Chen et al). The influence of favoring factors such as sex (Gutierez et al.) and genetic ancestry (Andrade et al.) are also discussed. In addition to the traditional mouse models of human cancers (Somlyai et al.; Gutierez et al.), nematodes, such as *Caenorhaditis elegans* (di Lucio et al.), were very useful in detecting cancer in urine samples owing to their superior smelling capabilities.

Some authors proposed either general (Almeida et al.; Somlyai et al.; Sultana et al.) or personalized (Iacobas & Iacobas) molecular solutions for anticancer therapy, with some interesting findings including anti-bacterial (Almeida et al.) and dewormer (Sultana et al.) drugs being repurposed for cancer treatment and some personalized solutions being based on the unique combination of Gene Master Regulators of the cancer nodules in the patient tumor (Iacobas & Iacobas).

By purpose and content, this Special Issue is addressed to the vast number of life science researchers and health care workers (doctors, physician assistants, and nurses). Our initiative was honored by 24 groups totaling 166 scientists from: Asia (China, Japan, and Korea), Europe (Greece, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Switzerland, and the U.K.), North America (Mexico and the U.S.A.), and South America (Brazil and Ecuador). The number of involved researchers and the geographic distribution of their academic institutions indicate the great interest of the worldwide scientific community in understanding the molecular causes of cancer and the efforts to fight these lethal diseases.

Acknowledgments: this reprint would not have been possible without the excellent administrative work of Ms. Norah Tang, Managing Editor of *CIMB*, and the rigorous evaluations provided by the invited reviewers.'

> **Dumitru A. Iacobas** *Editor*
