Cancer and Comorbidities: Deciphering the Clinical and Molecular Interplay Between Co-occurring Disorders and Cancer

Over 19 million new instances of cancer are recorded each year, making it one of the world's major causes of illness and mortality. Emerging clinical data indicate that cancer rarely occurs in isolation. Type 2 diabetes, migraines, epilepsy, cardiovascular disease, autoimmune diseases, and other chronic or neurological disorders are prevalent among cancer patients. In addition to complicating diagnosis and treatment, many comorbidities may share underlying molecular and cellular mechanisms with cancer, including oxidative stress, hormonal dysregulation, aberrant signaling pathways, metabolic reprogramming, and chronic inflammation.Despite growing recognition of these associations, the mechanistic basis linking cancer and co-occurring diseases remains poorly understood. This Research Topic aims to investigate the molecular and cellular processes that underpin the bidirectional interactions between cancer and comorbid conditions. In particular, we seek to elucidate how shared signaling networks, genetic and epigenetic alterations, and microenvironmental factors contribute to disease initiation, progression, and therapeutic response.This collection will bring together studies exploring common molecular pathways, including inflammatory signaling, metabolic dysregulation, and stress response mechanisms, as well as emerging insights from multi-omics approaches, functional models, and patient-derived systems. We also encourage investigations into how these mechanisms influence treatment response, drug resistance, and toxicity, particularly in the context of coexisting diseases.By integrating mechanistic insights with translational relevance, this Research Topic aims to advance understanding of how comorbid conditions reshape tumor biology and identify biologically grounded strategies to improve therapeutic outcomes. Recent advances in single-cell technologies, spatial biology, and systems-level analyses provide powerful tools to dissect these complex interactions and uncover novel vulnerabilities.We welcome original research, reviews, and perspectives that provide experimentally supported or mechanistically grounded insights into the molecular interplay between cancer and comorbid diseases. Submissions may include studies employing in vitro and in vivo models, patient-derived systems, or integrative multi-omics approaches with appropriate biological validation.We invite submissions on topics including, but not limited to:- Molecular and cellular pathways shared between cancer and comorbid conditions (e.g., inflammation, metabolism, redox signaling, immune modulation)- Genetic, epigenetic, and transcriptional mechanisms underlying cancer–comorbidity interactions- Tumor microenvironment and systemic factors linking chronic diseases and cancer- Mechanistic determinants of altered therapeutic response, resistance, or toxicity in the presence of comorbidities- Functional validation using experimental models (organoids, animal models, co-culture systems)- Multi-omics and single-cell approaches with biological validation to dissect disease interplayPlease note: manuscripts consisting solely of bioinformatics, computational analysis, or predictions of public databases which are not accompanied by validation (independent clinical or patient cohort, or biological validation in vitro or in vivo, which are not based on public databases) are not suitable for publication in this Research Topic. Topic editors: Prabhat Suman, Tamer A. Addissouky, Yogita Chhichholiya Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/83048/cancer-and-comorbidities-deciphering-the-clinical-and-molecular-interplay-between-co-occurring-disorders-and-cancer