We are pleased to announce that Ph.D. student Adriana Del Pino Herrera, as first author, and Dr. Meghan Ferrall-Fairbanks have recently published their article, “A War on Many Fronts: Cross-Disciplinary Approaches for Novel Cancer Treatment Strategies,” in Frontiers in Genetics, section Computational Genomics.

Cancer, a disease marked by uncontrolled cellular growth, often relies on interactions with surrounding cellular populations to promote its spread and invasion. Carcinomas, which make up nearly 90% of cancer cases, include a significant subtype known as adenocarcinomas. These originate from glandular cells and are found in various cancers such as breast, prostate, lung, pancreas, colon, esophageal, and kidney cancers.

Current treatment methods encompass surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, targeted therapy, and increasingly, immunotherapy. Despite these options, patients with adenocarcinomas frequently face resistance or recurrence following initial treatments. Understanding the interactions between tumor cells and their microenvironment is essential for overcoming resistance, preventing recurrence, and minimizing the toxic effects of high-dose therapies.

In their review, Herrera and Ferrall-Fairbanks discuss how mathematical modeling from diverse fields can contribute to developing more effective and personalized cancer treatments. They highlight how principles from ecology and evolution, economics, and control engineering have been used to model cancer dynamics and improve treatment approaches.

This work underscores the importance of interdisciplinary methods in advancing cancer research and treatment, reflecting the ongoing efforts to enhance patient outcomes through innovative strategies.