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Cancer Biomarkers and Metabolic Vulnerabilities
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Cancer Biomarkers and Metabolic Vulnerabilities

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Biochemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 March 2026 | Viewed by 4529

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Francesca Bersani

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Oncology, University of Torino, S. Luigi Gonzaga Hospital, Regione Gonzole 10, 10043 Orbassano, Italy
Interests: cancer biology; translational biochemistry; preclinical models; cancer metabolism; repeat elements; lung cancer; patient-derived organoids; circulating tumor cells
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the precision oncology era, novel and promising biomarkers and potential therapeutic targets are rapidly emerging thanks to unprecedented technological advances and are being sustained through the improvement of existing and new liquid biopsy approaches. A deeper knowledge of cancer cell behaviors and metabolic assets could lead to the identification of key and often undiscovered molecular players that are expected to offer tremendous benefits in clinical care.

We are pleased to invite you to contribute to this Special Issue, “Cancer Biomarkers and Metabolic Vulnerabilities”, which will be focused on the molecular and biochemical circuits exploited by cancer cells, investigating the key molecules that could be exploited as diagnostic, prognostic, stratification, and progression/response biomarkers or as targets of therapeutic relevance.

Within this framework, this Special Issue will collect the latest findings and breakthroughs in the fields of cancer biochemistry and the discovery of molecular and cellular biomarkers, as well as the characterization of novel potential therapeutic targets, with a particular emphasis on metabolic nodes. Original research articles and reviews, including methodological and preclinical papers, are welcome.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Francesca Bersani
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • cancer metabolism
  • cancer biomarkers
  • liquid biopsy
  • therapeutic targets
  • metabolic rewiring

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 1119 KB  
Article
Plasma Concentrations of Matrilysins (MMP-7, MMP-26) and Stromelysins (MMP-3, MMP-10) as Diagnostic Biomarkers in High-Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer Patients
by Gacuta Ewa, Paweł Ławicki, Hanna Grabowska, Michał Ławicki, Monika Kulesza, Aleksandra Kicman, Paweł Malinowski and Sławomir Ławicki
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(12), 5661; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26125661 - 13 Jun 2025
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1096
Abstract
Ovarian cancer (OC) has an extremely unfavourable prognosis. This is due to its asymptomatic course and lack of screening tests. Therefore, new methods are needed to diagnose OC. The aim of this study was to evaluate the concentrations and diagnostic utility of selected [...] Read more.
Ovarian cancer (OC) has an extremely unfavourable prognosis. This is due to its asymptomatic course and lack of screening tests. Therefore, new methods are needed to diagnose OC. The aim of this study was to evaluate the concentrations and diagnostic utility of selected matrilysins and stromelysins in the diagnosis of OC in comparison with the classical markers CA125 and HE4. The study group included 100 patients with serous OC, 70 with serous cysts (BL), and 50 healthy women (HW). Selected MMPs were determined by ELISA, routine markers by CMIA. Ovarian cancer patients have elevated concentrations of MMP-7, MMP-26, MMP-10 as well as CA125 and HE4 in the total group and subgroups (stage I + II, and III + IV). The highest values of diagnostic parameters—SP, SE, NPV, PPV, and ACC, as compared to CA125 and HE4, were observed for MMP-7. Performing ROC analyses showed that the highest AUC values were observed for MMP-7, CA125, and HE4, in the whole group of patients and divided into stages I and II according to FIGO. Performing ROC analyses for groups III and IV according to FIGO was associated with an increase in AUC for the MMPs studied. Of the MMPs tested, MMP-7, MMP-26, and MMP-10 have the highest potential in diagnostics of serous ovarian cancer patients. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cancer Biomarkers and Metabolic Vulnerabilities)
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8 pages, 766 KB  
Communication
Urothelial Urinary Bladder Cancer Is Characterized by Stage-Dependent Aberrations in Metabolism of Bioactive Sphingolipids
by Grzegorz Młynarczyk, Agnieszka Mikłosz, Adrian Chabowski and Marcin Baranowski
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(22), 11889; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms252211889 - 5 Nov 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1562
Abstract
Although dysregulated sphingolipid metabolism was observed in many malignant tumors, bladder cancer has not yet been examined in this regard. This study aims to investigate the metabolism of bioactive sphingolipids across different stages of urothelial urinary bladder cancer (UBC). Forty-eight patients with UBC [...] Read more.
Although dysregulated sphingolipid metabolism was observed in many malignant tumors, bladder cancer has not yet been examined in this regard. This study aims to investigate the metabolism of bioactive sphingolipids across different stages of urothelial urinary bladder cancer (UBC). Forty-eight patients with UBC were included in this study. The neoplasms were classified as either non-muscle-invasive (NMIBC, n = 24) or muscle-invasive (MIBC, n = 24). Samples of the healthy bladder tissue were taken from the patients who underwent radical cystectomy. The content of sphingolipids was measured using an HPLC method, and the mRNA expression of sphingolipid transporters and metabolizing enzymes was evaluated using RT-PCR. Compared to the healthy bladder tissue, the UBC, regardless of the stage, showed an elevated expression of SphK1, Spns2, and ABCC1. The changes in the level of bioactive sphingolipids were strongly stage-dependent. MIBC showed accumulation of sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) and ceramide, whereas the content of these sphingolipids in the NMIBC tumor was not different from that of healthy tissue. Moreover, MIBC, compared to NMIBC, was characterized by higher levels of sphingosine and dihydroceramide. We conclude that profound alterations in sphingolipid metabolism develop upon UBC transition from non-muscle-invasive to muscle-invasive. They include the accumulation of S1P, resulting from the increased availability of sphingosine generated from ceramide, which also builds up due to a further activation of its de novo synthesis. We hypothesize that the dysregulation of S1P metabolism leading to the accumulation of this tumor-promoting sphingolipid contributes to the progression of UBC. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cancer Biomarkers and Metabolic Vulnerabilities)
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Review

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17 pages, 413 KB  
Review
Lipid Droplets in Cancer: New Insights and Therapeutic Potential
by Shriya Joshi, Chakravarthy Garlapati, Amartya Pradhan, Komal Gandhi, Adepeju Balogun and Ritu Aneja
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2026, 27(2), 918; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms27020918 - 16 Jan 2026
Viewed by 470
Abstract
The progression of neoplastic diseases is driven by a complex interplay of biological processes, including uncontrolled proliferation, enhanced invasion, metastasis, and profound metabolic reprogramming. Among the hallmarks of cancer, as revised by Hanahan and Weinberg, the reprogramming of energy metabolism has emerged as [...] Read more.
The progression of neoplastic diseases is driven by a complex interplay of biological processes, including uncontrolled proliferation, enhanced invasion, metastasis, and profound metabolic reprogramming. Among the hallmarks of cancer, as revised by Hanahan and Weinberg, the reprogramming of energy metabolism has emerged as a critical feature that enables cancer cells to meet their heightened bioenergetic and biosynthetic demands. One significant aspect of this metabolic adaptation is the accumulation of lipid droplets (LDs) dynamic, cytoplasmic organelles primarily involved in lipid storage and metabolic regulation. LDs serve as reservoirs of neutral lipids and play a multifaceted role in cancer cell physiology. Their accumulation is increasingly recognized as a marker of tumor aggressiveness and poor prognosis. By storing lipids, LDs provide a readily accessible source of energy and essential building blocks for membrane synthesis, supporting rapid cell division and growth. Moreover, LDs contribute to cellular homeostasis by modulating oxidative stress, maintaining redox balance, and regulating autophagy, particularly under nutrient-deprived or hypoxic conditions commonly found in the tumor microenvironment. Importantly, LDs have been implicated in the development of resistance to cancer therapies. They protect cancer cells from the cytotoxic effects of chemotherapeutic agents by buffering endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, inhibiting apoptosis, and facilitating survival pathways. The presence of LDs has been shown to correlate with increased resistance to a variety of chemotherapeutic drugs, although the precise molecular mechanisms underlying this phenomenon remain incompletely understood. Emerging evidence suggests that chemotherapy itself can induce changes in LD accumulation, further complicating treatment outcomes. Given their central role in cancer metabolism and therapy resistance, LDs represent a promising target for therapeutic intervention. Strategies aimed at disrupting lipid metabolism or inhibiting LD biogenesis have shown potential in sensitizing cancer cells to chemotherapy and overcoming drug resistance. In this review, we comprehensively examine the current understanding of LD biology in cancer, highlight studies that elucidate the link between LDs and drug resistance, and discuss emerging approaches to target lipid metabolic pathways to enhance therapeutic efficacy across diverse cancer types. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cancer Biomarkers and Metabolic Vulnerabilities)
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