Dear Colleagues,

The advances in sequencing techniques and broadly diffused exome/genome-wide sequencing analytical approaches in cancer patients have provided intriguing insights into cancer predisposing conditions. It is difficult to estimate the prevalence of childhood cancer attributable to genetic predisposition, but recent reports suggest that at least 10% of pediatric cancer patients harbor a germline mutation in a cancer predisposition gene. Germline genetic variants contribute to a substantial proportion of cases of cancer in childhood and adolescence. These mutations are often associated with complex syndromic phenotypes with multisystem involvement and represent diagnostic, clinical, and ethical challenges for physicians. At the same time, many acquired mutations in tumor suppressor genes and oncogenes have been associated with genetic susceptibility to cancer, representing the ‘first hits’ in a multistep mutational process. Although some of these loci have been functionally dissected, the underlying biology of most of them remains elusive.

However, most of these conditions, due to the low number of patients, are poorly described. Advances in our understanding of heritable conditions and clinical presentations will profoundly impact the management of these patients. New challenges in the surveillance and treatment arise from the possibility to identify predisposing factors prior to cancer onset. This comprehension may play a pivotal role in the future development of precision medicine and personalized interventions.

This Special Issue, “Pediatric Cancer Predisposition”, will focus on the clinical characterization, functional understanding, and management of acquired and inherited genetic factors in children and adolescents that predispose them to cancer.

Authors are invited to submit original research or review papers addressing the abovementioned topic.

Dr. Riccardo Masetti
Dr. Angela Mastronuzzi
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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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. Cancers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

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• predisposition to cancer
• pediatric cancer predisposition
• germline mutations
• cancer-prone diseases