Radiation Response, Immune Remodeling, and Therapy Resistance in Pediatric Solid Tumors

Proposed abstract

Pediatric solid tumors, including neuroblastoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, brain tumors, and other childhood cancers, remain a major clinical challenge, especially when tumors become resistant to radiotherapy and multimodal treatment. Radiation response is not only determined by direct DNA damage, but also by complex cellular programs involving DNA repair, cell cycle control, oxidative stress, mitochondrial function, ferroptosis, autophagy, senescence, immune signaling, and tumor microenvironment remodeling.



In pediatric cancers, these mechanisms can shape tumor cell survival, immune escape, recurrence, and long-term treatment response. Radiation can alter tumor immunogenicity, antigen presentation, cytokine signaling, stromal interactions, and immune cell infiltration, while resistant tumor cells may activate adaptive stress pathways that support survival under therapeutic pressure. Understanding these processes from a cancer cell biology perspective is essential for identifying new biomarkers, improving treatment stratification, and developing rational combination strategies.



This Research Topic aims to bring together mechanistic, translational, and multi-omics studies exploring how pediatric solid tumors respond to radiation and how radiation induced cellular stress, immune remodeling, and resistance pathways influence cancer progression and therapy outcomes. We welcome studies using experimental models, patient-derived samples, organoids, animal models, spatial profiling, single cell approaches, and validated multi omics analyses to better define the biological mechanisms that shape radiation response and resistance in pediatric oncology.



Proposed scope

This Research Topic welcomes Original Research, Reviews, Mini Reviews, Perspectives, and Methods articles focused on radiation response, immune remodeling, and therapy resistance in pediatric solid tumors.



Contributions of interest include, but are not limited to:



Radiation response mechanisms in pediatric solid tumors, including neuroblastoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, pediatric brain tumors, and other childhood cancers

DNA damage response, DNA repair, cell cycle control, and checkpoint signaling after radiotherapy

Tumor cell survival pathways activated by radiation-induced stress

Radiation-induced immune remodeling in the tumor microenvironment

Changes in antigen presentation, cytokine signaling, immune infiltration, and immune escape after radiotherapy

Interactions between tumor cells, immune cells, stromal cells, and vascular compartments during radiation response

Oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, ferroptosis, autophagy, and senescence in radiation-treated pediatric tumors

Mechanisms of resistance to radiotherapy, chemotherapy, targeted therapy, or combination treatment

Biomarkers predicting radiation response, recurrence, or treatment resistance in pediatric oncology

Multi-omics, single-cell, spatial, proteomic, transcriptomic, or radiogenomic approaches with biological or experimental validation

Preclinical models, organoids, patient-derived models, xenografts, and clinically relevant systems for studying radiation response

Translational strategies combining radiotherapy with immunotherapy, targeted therapy, metabolic intervention, or cell-death modulation

Submissions should provide clear mechanistic, translational, or model-based relevance to cancer cell biology. Studies that are purely descriptive, rely only on bioinformatic analysis without validation, or lack a clear connection to tumor cell behavior, immune interaction, or therapy response may fall outside the preferred scope of this collection.

Article types and fees

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

• Brief Research Report
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• ... 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
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Pediatric solid tumors, Radiotherapy response, Radiation resistance, DNA damage response, Tumor microenvironment, Radiation induced immune remodeling, Therapy resistance, Ferroptosis, Pediatric oncology, Single-cell and spatial omics

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.