Circadian Rhythms and Cancer Progression: Implications for Diagnosis, Prognosis, and Therapy

Circadian rhythms are intrinsic biological oscillations that regulate key cellular and physiological processes, including cell cycle progression, metabolism, DNA repair, and immune surveillance. Growing evidence indicates that disruption of circadian regulation contributes to cancer initiation and tumor progression by promoting genomic instability, metabolic rewiring, and altered interactions with the tumor microenvironment. In both solid and hematological malignancies, circadian deregulation has been associated with increased tumor aggressiveness, metastatic potential, and poor clinical outcomes. Advances in high-throughput technologies and large patient datasets have further revealed time-dependent patterns in gene expression, metabolism, and immune activity that correlate with disease progression. Despite these insights, circadian biology remains largely underexplored in routine oncological research and clinical practice, particularly in relation to cancer diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutic decision-making.The goal of this Research Topic is to explore the role of circadian rhythms in tumor progression and to highlight their implications for cancer diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutic strategies. This collection aims to integrate molecular, cellular, and clinical evidence demonstrating how circadian disruption influences tumor growth, invasion, metastasis, and disease outcome. We seek contributions that investigate circadian-dependent mechanisms driving cancer progression, as well as studies identifying circadian-related biomarkers with diagnostic or prognostic value. In addition, this Topic encourages research examining how circadian alterations intersect with treatment response and resistance, offering new perspectives for patient stratification and precision oncology. By bringing together experimental studies, bioinformatic analyses, and clinical investigations, this Research Topic aims to provide a comprehensive framework to understand the temporal dimension of cancer progression and to promote the incorporation of circadian principles into translational and clinical oncology research.This Research Topic welcomes Original Research, Review, Mini Review, and Perspective articles addressing the involvement of circadian rhythms in tumor progression and cancer outcomes. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:- Circadian disruption and tumor growth, invasion, and metastasis- Molecular clock genes and pathways regulating cancer progression- Circadian regulation of cancer metabolism and genomic stability- Tumor microenvironment and immune modulation in a circadian context- Circadian-based diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers- Bioinformatic and multi-omics analyses linking circadian rhythms to cancer progression- Clinical and translational studies integrating circadian biology into oncology- AI-driven and machine learning approaches integrating multi-omics data to identify circadian biomarkers and improve cancer diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutic stratification Topic editors: Pasquale F. Innominato, Tommaso Colangelo, Gianluigi Ubaldo Mazzoccoli Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/78685/circadian-rhythms-and-cancer-progression-implications-for-diagnosis-prognosis-and-therapy