Metabolic Crosstalk in the Uro-Genital Tumor Microenvironment

The tumor microenvironment (TME) of urological cancers—including prostate, bladder, kidney, and testicular malignancies—is a complex ecosystem where metabolic reprogramming is a central hallmark. Tumor cells, immune populations, and stromal components engage in a dynamic metabolic crosstalk that involves proliferation, immune evasion, and ultimately metastasis. This metabolic interplay, driven by nutrient competition, hypoxic gradients, and oncometabolite exchange, creates a permissive niche for disease progression and therapeutic resistance. Unravelling these intricate metabolic networks is paramount for understanding the fundamental biology of uro-genital tumors and identifying novel therapeutic vulnerabilities. This Research Topic aims to dissect the role of metabolic crosstalk within the urological TME, exploring how systemic metabolism and local metabolite exchange influence tumor behavior and treatment outcomes.

The primary goal of this Research Topic is to address the critical knowledge gap in how metabolic crosstalk within the TME drives the progression and therapy resistance of urological cancers. While metabolic reprogramming is a recognized hallmark, the specific mechanisms of metabolite exchange and nutrient competition between malignant, immune, and stromal cells in urological cancers remain incompletely understood. This collection aims to synthesize cutting-edge research to dissect these interactions.

We invite Original Research, Reviews, and Perspectives on metabolic interactions within the uro-genital tumor microenvironment. This collection seeks to explore the role of metabolic crosstalk in driving cancer progression and therapy resistance. Specific themes of interest include:
• Mechanisms of metabolite exchange and nutrient competition between tumor, immune, and stromal cells.
• The impact of systemic metabolism and local conditions on the TME.
• Novel metabolic imaging techniques and biomarkers for urological cancers.
• Therapeutic strategies targeting metabolic vulnerabilities to overcome treatment resistance.
• Translational and clinical perspectives on integrating metabolic insights into patient care.


Please note: Submissions should focus on cancers of the prostate, bladder, kidney, or testes. 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 journal.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Case Report
• Clinical Trial
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Mini Review
• Original Research
• Perspective
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Case Report
• Clinical Trial
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Mini Review
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review

Keywords: Metabolic Reprogramming; Tumor Microenvironment; Urogenital Cancers; Cancer Immunology; Therapeutic Targeting; Urological Oncology

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.