Call for papers - Genomic instability in cancer

Guest Editors

Viviana Barra, PhD, University of Palermo, Italy

Submission Status: Open | Submission Deadline: 19 August 2025

BMC Cancer is calling for submissions to our Collection on Genomic instability in cancer. This Collection seeks to gather research on genomic instability and mutational processes in cancer, aiming to advance our understanding of the underlying mechanisms and their implications for cancer therapy and prevention. We invite researchers to contribute their work on diverse topics, including genomic instability, novel cancer therapies, nutraceutical interventions, and biomarkers for early cancer detection.

New Content Item This Collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 3: Good health and well-being.

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Meet the Guest Editors

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Viviana Barra, PhD, University of Palermo, Italy

Viviana Barra is Assistant Professor of Genetics at the University of Palermo (Italy). She completed her PhD in Genomics and Proteomics in 2011 at the University of Palermo and specialized in Medical Genetics in 2016 at the University of Messina. She was Postdoc at Institute Curie in Paris (France) (2015–2017) and then at Institute Gustave Roussy in Villejuif (France) (2018–2020). Her research focuses on epigenetics, predominantly on the role of DNA methylation in genomic stability and cancer.

About the Collection

Genomic instability is a hallmark of cancer and plays a critical role in its development and progression. Various pathways contribute to genomic instability, including defects in DNA repair mechanisms, errors during DNA replication and cell division and exposure to environmental mutagens. For instance, defects in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, which are crucial for repairing double-strand breaks in DNA, are associated with an increased risk of breast and ovarian cancers. Similarly, deficiencies in the mismatch repair system, responsible for correcting base-pair mismatches, are linked to colorectal cancer and other malignancies.

Understanding the underlying mechanisms of genomic instability is crucial for improving cancer diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. Strategies such as synthetic lethality and the use of PARP inhibitors in BRCA-mutant cancers, are examples of how this knowledge is being translated into clinical practice. Additionally, advances in genomic technologies and computational approaches have provided insights into the genomic instability of various cancer types, informing targeted treatment approaches and precision medicine strategies.

It is important for us to continue advancing our collective understanding in this area to identify novel therapeutic targets, develop personalized cancer prevention strategies, and improve patient outcomes. Ongoing research efforts may lead to the discovery of new biomarkers for early cancer detection or the development of innovative cancer therapies. With this in mind, BMC Cancer is opening submissions to this Collection on Genomic instability in cancer. We welcome articles on the following:

Mechanisms of genomic instability in cancer
Chromosomal abnormalities and aneuploidy
Epigenetic alterations and their impact on genomic stability
Role of environmental factors in genome instability
Role of genomic instability in cancer development and progression
Technological advances for the study of genomic instability
Novel approaches in cancer therapy targeting genomic instability
Biomarkers of genomic instability for cancer diagnosis and prognosis
Computational approaches to study genomic instability

There are currently no articles in this collection.

Submission Guidelines

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This Collection welcomes submission of original Research Articles. Should you wish to submit a different article type, please read our submission guidelines to confirm that type is accepted by the journal. Articles for this Collection should be submitted via our submission system, Snapp. During the submission process you will be asked whether you are submitting to a Collection, please select "Genomic instability in cancer" from the dropdown menu.

Articles will undergo the journal’s standard peer-review process and are subject to all of the journal’s standard policies. Articles will be added to the Collection as they are published.

The Editors have no competing interests with the submissions which they handle through the peer review process. The peer review of any submissions for which the Editors have competing interests is handled by another Editorial Board Member who has no competing interests.