Tumor-to-Tumor Communication and Metastatic Progression in Prostate Cancer

Most prostate cancers are initially diagnosed as localized disease and can be effectively treated with surgery or radiation therapy. However, a subset of patients develops lymph node and distant metastases, particularly to the bone, which largely determine patient survival and therapeutic outcomes. Metastasis is increasingly recognized as a dynamic and complex biological process involving interactions among tumor cells, immune cells, stromal components, and organ-specific microenvironments. Recent studies suggest that metastatic lesions may not behave as independent entities but instead interact through systemic signaling networks. This concept of “tumor-to-tumor communication” proposes that metastatic sites can influence each other’s growth, survival, and therapeutic response. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs), extracellular vesicles including exosomes, cytokine signaling, and immune modulation have been implicated as potential mediators of this inter-metastatic crosstalk. Despite growing evidence in several malignancies, the mechanisms and clinical relevance of tumor communication in metastatic prostate cancer remain incompletely understood.

This Research Topic aims to advance the understanding of communication networks among metastatic prostate cancer lesions and their roles in disease progression and treatment resistance. Specifically, we seek to address the following key questions:

- Do metastatic lesions interact with each other to promote tumor expansion and dissemination?
- What biological mechanisms mediate long-distance communication among metastatic tumors, including the roles of CTCs, extracellular vesicles, and immune signaling pathways?
- How do organ-specific microenvironments, such as bone and lymph node niches, influence tumor evolution and metastatic heterogeneity?
- What molecular determinants, including androgen receptor signaling, PSMA expression, and genomic alterations, contribute to inter-metastatic communication?
- How does metastatic tumor heterogeneity contribute to therapeutic resistance and disease progression?

By integrating molecular biology, liquid biopsy technologies, advanced imaging, and computational approaches, this Research Topic aims to identify novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets that may improve personalized treatment strategies for metastatic prostate cancer.

We welcome submissions that explore tumor communication and metastatic progression in prostate cancer across basic, translational, and clinical research domains.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

- Molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying metastasis-to-metastasis signaling
- Liquid biopsy approaches including CTCs, circulating tumor DNA, and extracellular vesicles
- Exosome-mediated tumor communication and systemic tumor ecosystems
- Bone and lymph node microenvironmental regulation of metastatic growth
- Integration of molecular imaging modalities such as PSMA PET with metastatic biology
- Artificial Intelligence, radiomics, and digital pathology for predicting metastatic progression
- Mechanisms of treatment resistance and tumor heterogeneity
- Novel therapeutic strategies targeting metastatic communication networks

We welcome Original Research, Review, Mini Review, and Perspective articles.

Article types and fees

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

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Clinical Trial
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• ... 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:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Clinical Trial
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Prostate cancer metastasis, Tumor communication, Circulating tumor cells, Extracellular vesicles, Tumor microenvironment

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.