Cancer biology explores the complex ways cells grow out of control, investigating the genetic mutations and environmental factors that drive tumor formation. This field seeks to understand how healthy cells transform into malignant ones and how these rogue cells spread throughout the body. By decoding these fundamental mechanisms, researchers aim to develop more effective treatments that target the disease at its source while sparing healthy tissue.

At Gist.Science, we process every new preprint published in this category directly from bioRxiv to ensure you stay ahead of the curve. Our team provides both accessible plain-language overviews and detailed technical summaries for each study, bridging the gap between raw research data and practical understanding. Whether you are a specialist or a curious reader, our goal is to make these critical findings clear and actionable.

Below are the latest papers in cancer biology, offering fresh insights into the ongoing fight against this disease.

📄 cancer biology

Correlation of OCT-Based Radiomic Signatures With Dose-Associated Radiation Response in Tumor Spheroids

This study demonstrates that optical coherence tomography (OCT) radiomics provides a sensitive, reproducible, and label-free high-throughput method for quantifying radiation dose responses in tumor spheroids, significantly outperforming conventional brightfield morphology without requiring concurrent brightfield imaging.

Arndt, M. D., Hansler, R., Tirinato, L., Tkachenko, A., Seco, J., Schepers, U., Spadea, M. F.2026-07-09
📄 cancer biology

An immunocompetent osteoblastic model of mammary cancer bone metastasis established by syngeneic intratibial injection of PyMT mammary carcinoma cells in FVB/N mice

This study establishes and characterizes a novel immunocompetent, syngeneic mouse model of osteoblastic breast cancer bone metastasis using intratibial injection of PyMT-CK(OB) cells in FVB/N mice, demonstrating that immune competence is essential for driving tumor-induced bone formation and providing a robust platform for investigating the mechanisms and therapies of this distinct skeletal disease.

Flatt, C. L., Nano, S. L., Goyal, R., Waltz, S. E., Niebur, G. L., Littlepage, L. E.2026-07-09
📄 cancer biology

Leveraging Homologous Recombination Deficiency via the Repositioned Prodrug CB1954

This study repositions the historical prodrug CB1954 as a highly selective therapeutic for homologous recombination-deficient cancers by demonstrating its ability to exploit specific DNA repair dependencies via NQO2-mediated activation and DNA crosslinking, thereby offering a new precision oncology strategy through the biomarker-guided rediscovery of abandoned DNA-damaging agents.

Elia, J. L., Hill, J., Heer, C. D., Smolev, S., Sykes, A. M., Arbelaez, S. R., Lucas, K. N., Johnson, S. S., Sundaram, R (…)2026-07-09
📄 cancer biology

Adaptive plasticity of aspartate metabolism in succinate dehydrogenase-deficient cancer cells

This study reveals that succinate dehydrogenase-deficient cancer cells overcome aspartate limitation and restore proliferative fitness through two distinct adaptive mechanisms—suppression of respiratory complex I or upregulation of pyruvate carboxylase—highlighting a redox-constrained metabolic plasticity that offers potential therapeutic vulnerabilities.

Sokolov, D., Zheng, E., Danquah, S., Hart, M. L., Sullivan, L. B.2026-07-08
📄 cancer biology

Single-section spatial hypoxia-cytotoxic associations do not consistently reproduce across breast cancer patients

This study demonstrates that strong spatial associations between hypoxia and cytotoxic activity observed within a single breast cancer tissue section do not consistently reproduce across patients, highlighting the critical distinction between within-section correlations and patient-level biological effects in spatial transcriptomics.

Dong, B., Song, Z., Yin, Y.2026-07-08
📄 cancer biology

Stromal Prostaglandin is a Dominant Spatial Regulator of Cell-fate Plasticity in Colorectal Cancer

This study identifies stromal-derived Prostaglandin E2 as a dominant spatial regulator that drives colorectal cancer cell-fate plasticity by converting chemosensitive DACH1+ stem cells into chemorefractory, prometastatic states, a process that can be reversed by inhibiting stromal COX2.

Molyneux, C., OSullivan, R., Mulholland-Illingworth, E. J., Moore, J. W., Li, N., Vlckova, P., Amirkhah, R., Dobric, A. (…)2026-07-08
📄 cancer biology

Gene Regulatory Network Inference reveals tcf4 as a key a player in neuroblastoma gene expression circuitry

By applying the novel CardamomOT framework to single-cell RNA-seq data from neuroblastoma tumoroids, this study infers a dynamic gene regulatory network that identifies *tcf4* as a critical hub whose inhibition via BET drugs alters cell fate proportions, thereby revealing new therapeutic avenues for this pediatric cancer.

Koering, C., Vallin, E., Picard, F., Gonin-Giraud, S., Gandrillon, O.2026-07-08
📄 cancer biology

Aberrant DNA methylation is co-regulated across the genome in leukemia and other types of cancer

This study reveals that the complex, patient-specific DNA methylation patterns in leukemia are not random but are orchestrated by reproducible, genome-wide epigenetic networks that transcend individual mutations, extend across diverse cancer types, and share underlying regulatory mechanisms with non-malignant cells.

Varona Baranda, M., Liesenfelder, S., Kraft, F., Kuo, C.-C., Perez-Correa, J.-F., Jost, E., Stiehl, T., Wagner, W.2026-06-09