Recent Progress in Cancer and Tumor Research

Currently, immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapies that target the programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1) have been used as revolutionary cancer treatments in the clinic [1]. Cancer, a formidable adversary, has long plagued humanity. However, in recent years, groundbreaking research has illuminated new paths toward effective treatments and improved patient outcomes. Many studies suggest that tumor microbiome closely relates to the oncogenesis and anti-tumor responses in multiple cancer types (e.g., colorectal cancer (CRC), breast cancer, lung cancer and pancreatic cancer), thereby raising an emerging research area of bacteria-related tumor therapy [2]. Let’s explore some of the remarkable advancements that are reshaping the landscape of cancer care.

1. Tumor-Associated Macrophages (TAMs) and Nanoimmunotherapies

Macrophages are important components of the immune system. Mature macrophages can be recruited to tumor microenvironment that affect tumor cell proliferation, invasion and metastasis, extracellular matrix remodeling, immune suppression, as well as chemotherapy resistance [3]. TAMs, the immune cells residing within the tumor microenvironment, play a dual role. While some TAMs promote tumor growth, others exhibit antitumor properties. Researchers have honed in on these cells, recognizing their impact on disease progression.

Nanoimmunotherapies:

• Nanoparticles, with their unique physicochemical properties, hold promise in TAM-targeted therapies.
• Strategies include:
  • Restricting TAMs Survival: Preventing their persistence within the tumor.
  • Inhibiting TAMs Recruitment: Limiting their migration to tumor sites.
  • Repolarizing Tumor-Supportive TAMs: Shifting them toward an antitumor phenotype.

Additionally, CAR-macrophage cell therapy emerges as a beacon of hope. By genetically modifying macrophages, scientists aim to enhance their tumor-fighting abilities.

2. Immunotherapy Breakthroughs

Immunotherapy, which harnesses the body’s immune system to combat cancer, has revolutionized treatment paradigms. As the latest and most anticipated method of tumor immunotherapy, CAR-NK therapy has received increasing attention in recent years, and its safety and high efficiency have irreplaceable advantages over CAR-T [4]. Recent breakthroughs include:

Precision Medicine:

• Tailoring treatments based on individual genetic profiles.
• Personalized therapies yield better outcomes and minimize side effects.

Reducing Health Disparities:

• Ensuring equitable access to cancer care.
• Addressing disparities in diagnosis, treatment, and survival rates.

Liquid Biopsies:

• Detecting cancer-related biomarkers from blood samples.
• Non-invasive and informative for early detection.

Machine Learning:

• Analyzing vast datasets to uncover patterns.
• Enhancing diagnostic accuracy and treatment predictions.

3. Basic Cancer Research Insights

Fundamental research provides the bedrock for clinical advancements. Recent insights include:

Immunotherapy Success:

• Understanding immune checkpoints and their modulation.
• Immune checkpoint inhibitors (e.g., PD-1/PD-L1) show remarkable efficacy.

Liquid Biopsies and Machine Learning:

• Liquid biopsies offer real-time monitoring.
• Machine learning algorithms decipher complex genomic data.

Macrophages’ Dual Role:

• TAMs’ intricate dance within the TME.
• Balancing surveillance and tumor promotion.

4. The Road Ahead

As we navigate this intricate landscape, interdisciplinary collaboration remains paramount. Researchers, clinicians, and patients must join forces to accelerate progress. The future holds promise:

• Combination Therapies: Merging immunotherapy, targeted agents, and traditional treatments.
• Early Detection: Leveraging liquid biopsies for timely intervention.
• Personalized Approaches: Tailoring treatments to each patient’s unique biology.

In the fight against cancer, hope shines brightly. Recent strides remind us that science, compassion, and determination can conquer even the most formidable foes. Let us march forward, armed with knowledge and empathy, toward a world where cancer is no longer synonymous with despair.

List of top most journals in Cancer and Tumor (2024)

What is open access journal?

An open access journal is an academic journal that publishes scholarly papers and makes the content available for access, download, reading, and distribution without charging subscription fees. People commonly refer to open access journals as “free journals” since users do not have to pay to read or use their contents. In the general context, it is somehow correct. But technically, most open access journals use Creative Commons licenses, which are public licenses that allow content usage and impose certain restrictions, if any. Such restrictions may include attribution, modifications, and non-commercialization. Open access journals are growing in popularity and are well respected in academia. Major databases such as the Directory of Open Access Publishing have begun focusing on indexing and promoting high-quality open access journals. More established databases have also followed suit. The presence of established databases in promoting open access journals is an important validation and recognition of open research.

What is open peer review?

Open peer review (OPR), where review reports and reviewers’ identities are published alongside the articles, represents one of the last aspects of the open science movement to be widely embraced, although its adoption has been growing since the turn of the century (Wolfram etal., 2020) [5]. Open peer review refers to various modifications of the traditional scholarly peer review process. These modifications aim to address perceived shortcomings of the conventional system. Here are the three common forms of open peer review:

1. Open Identities:

• In open peer review, authors and reviewers are aware of each other’s identities. Unlike traditional peer review, where reviewers remain anonymous to anyone but the journal’s editors, open peer review allows transparency by revealing reviewer names to authors.
• However, reviewer identities may or may not be disclosed to the public.

2. Open Reports:

• Under this model, review reports are made public, rather than being confidentially shared only with the article’s authors. This includes publishing not only the reviewers’ comments but also the authors’ responses and editors’ recommendations.
• Typically, this applies to articles accepted for publication, not those that are rejected. 

3. Open Participation:

• In open peer review, self-selected reviewers (beyond invited experts) can comment on an article. The assumption is that the article’s content is openly accessible.
• These self-selected reviewers may contribute either brief comments or comprehensive reviews.
• The text of the article is openly available, allowing broader community participation in the review process.

The adoption of open peer review aims to enhance transparency, provide incentives, reduce wastefulness, and address issues like bullying and harassment in scholarly communication.

What are the benefits of Open Peer Review?

Open peer review (OPR) is a transparent process that allows scholarly articles to be evaluated by experts in the field, while also revealing the identities of both authors and reviewers. OPR can improve the quality of research by:

• Encouraging constructive feedback: Openness in the identities of authors and reviewers can lead to better quality feedback rather than simply rejecting the paper.
• Reducing bias: Everything is openly available to all, which can reduce the possibility of bias.
• Empowering authors: Authors can lead the process by suggesting reviewers themselves.
• Improving accountability: The quality of current scientific publications is at stake.
• Encouraging collaboration: OPR encourages collaboration and promotes diversity of perspectives, ultimately leading to more robust and credible research outcomes.
• Providing learning opportunities: OPR places a research work in the context of a discussion, and gives authors, readers and others a chance to better understand the process from the initial manuscript submission to final published version.
• Exposing possible conflicts of interest: OPR may help to expose possible conflicts of interest in some cases.

Adoption of OPR by publishers (Wolfram etal., 2020) [5] 

A summary of the most prolific publishers contributing to OPR and their headquarters country appears below. Although many journals today attract an international audience and are managed by international teams of researchers, the prevalence of OPR journals associated with publishers based in Europe stands out. Twenty-four of the 38 (63.2%) identified publishers are based in Europe and account for 445 out of the 617 titles (72.1%). Although the publishers are based in Europe, many of the journals they publish may support journals originating from other areas of the world (e.g., Kowsar). Furthermore, 500 of the OPR journals (81.0%) are published by only five publishers (MDPI, SDI, BioMed Central, Frontiers Media S.A., Kowsar). This points to the important role that publishers have played to date in the promotion of OPR (Wolfram etal., 2020) [5].

1. *United Kingdom (19 journals), United States (9), Argentina (1), Bulgaria (1), Canada (1), France (1), Germany (1), Ireland (1), Kenya (1), The Netherlands (1), Switzerland (1)

List of open Peer-review journals in cancer and tumor (2024)

1. BMC Cancer (Website: https://bmccancer.biomedcentral.com)
2. International Journal of Molecular Sciences (Website: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/ijms)
3. Cancers (Website: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/cancers)
4. Journal of Cancer and Tumor International (Website: https://journaljcti.com)
5. Journal of Advances in Medicine and Medical Research (Website: https://journaljammr.com)
6. Asian Oncology Research Journal (Website: https://journalaorj.com)
7. International Research Journal of Oncology (Website: https://journalirjo.com)
8. Asian Journal of Medicine and Health (Website: https://journalajmah.com)
9. Journal of Hematology & Oncology (Website: https://jhoonline.biomedcentral.com)
10. Current Oncology (Website: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/curroncol)

References

1. Zhou, Z., Wang, H., Li, J., Jiang, X., Li, Z., & Shen, J. (2024). Recent progress, perspectives, and issues of engineered PD-L1 regulation nano-system to better cure tumor: A review. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 254, 127911.
2. Zhang, F., Wang, S., Yang, S., Ma, F., & Gao, H. (2024). Recent progress in nanomaterials for bacterial-related tumor therapy. Biomaterials Science.
3. Wang, H., Wang, X., Zhang, X., & Xu, W. (2024). The promising role of tumor-associated macrophages in the treatment of cancer. Drug Resistance Updates, 101041.
4. Wang, W., Liu, Y., He, Z., Li, L., Liu, S., Jiang, M., … & Ge, X. (2024). Breakthrough of solid tumor treatment: CAR-NK immunotherapy. Cell Death Discovery, 10(1), 40.
5. Wolfram, D., Wang, P., Hembree, A. et al. Open peer review: promoting transparency in open science. Scientometrics 125, 1033–1051 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-020-03488-4