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Cancer prevention

Guest Editors:
Kajal Gokal, PhD: Loughborough University, England
Jianguang Ji, PhD: Lund University, Sweden
Brigid Lynch, PhD: Cancer Council Victoria, Australia
Noah Peeri, PhD: Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, USA
Hongmei Zeng, PhD: Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, China
Wen Zhang, PhD: Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, China
Xiaotao "Rony" Zhang, PhD: The Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, USA


BMC Medicine called for submissions to our Collection on cancer prevention.

Cancer remains a formidable challenge, being the second most common cause of death globally. Over the years, significant progress has been made in understanding risk factors as well as developing preventive and therapeutic strategies. However, many essential gaps remain to be addressed. This collection seeks to highlight developments in understanding the molecular, genetic, environmental, and lifestyle determinants that contribute to cancer development, and potential strategies to prevent their occurrence. 

Meet the Guest Editors

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Kajal Gokal: Loughborough University, England

Dr Gokal is a senior researcher in Behavioral Medicine at the Centre for Lifestyle Medicine and Behavior (CLiMB) in the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences at Loughborough University. Her research focuses on the implementation of behavior change interventions to support the uptake and maintenance of physical activity for both primary and secondary cancer prevention. This involves addressing the barriers to physical activity during and after treatment as well as providing support and the tools to manage and monitor progress. She has a strong interest in how new approaches involving both digital technology and self-managed physical activity can help achieve this goal.

Jianguang Ji: Lund University, Sweden

Dr Jianguang Ji, MD, PhD, is a Senior Lecturer at the Clinical Research Centre (CRC), Center for Primary Health Care Research, Department of Clinical Sciences, Malmö at Lund University. His research has a strong focus on the influence of genetic and environmental factors on cancer incidence and mortality. By using data from nationwide registers and national and regional surveys, the main aim of his research is to shed new light on potential genetic and environmental factors associated with the development of various types of cancer, with a main focus on cancer prevention.

Brigid Lynch: Cancer Council Victoria, Australia

Associate Professor Brigid M. Lynch is Deputy Head of the Cancer Epidemiology Division at Cancer Council Victoria and an Honorary Principal Fellow at the Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne. Her research focuses on how physical activity is associated with cancer risk, biological mechanisms underlying risk, and health outcomes for cancer survivors. Her research interests include applying causal inference methods to help advance the field of physical activity epidemiology. Brigid is a Principal Investigator of the Australian Breakthrough Cancer Study, an ongoing cohort study of over 50,000 Australians investigating the role that genes, lifestyle and environment play in the development of cancer and other diseases.

Noah Peeri: Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, USA

Dr Peeri is a Research Scholar at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics. He received his Masters in Public Health in Epidemiology from the University of South Florida, and his Doctorate in Epidemiology from the University of North Texas Health Science Center. He has training in advanced epidemiologic methods, as well as nutritional and cancer epidemiology. Much of his research has focused on the intersection of environmental and genetic risk factors and their role in cancer etiology, specifically primary central nervous system tumors. Currently, his research focuses on reducing cancer health disparities across several cancer types.

Hongmei Zeng: Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, China

Prof Hongmei Zeng received her PhD degree from Peking University and was a visiting scholar at Yale University and Harvard University.  She serves as deputy director of the National Central Cancer Registry, and is a core member of the Chinese National Cancer Registration and Follow-up Program. She has published more than 100 articles on cancer epidemiology, which have been cited more than 30,000 times by researchers.  Some of her research has provided a benchmark for Chinese health plans such as “Healthy China 2030 Blueprint” and has been cited by the WHO Health Policy Framework.

Wen Zhang: Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, China

Prof Wen Zhang received a PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in 2011 and is a specialist in cancer biotherapy, Immuno-Oncology, and liquid biopsy. His research focuses on immunotherapy, including the application of oncolytic viruses, the correlation between immunotherapy and tumor microenvironment, and cell therapy. Furthermore, a significant portion of his efforts has been dedicated to the field of liquid biopsy, with a particular emphasis on the clinical implementation of circulating tumor cells. He is an Editorial Board Member for BMC Medicine.

Xiaotao "Rony" Zhang: The Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, USA

Dr Xiaotao ‘Rony’ Zhang is an Assistant Professor at the Institute for Translational Epidemiology and Division of Liver Diseases, Department of Medicine with expertise in microbiome, nutritional epidemiology, and cancer epidemiology. Rony earned his medical degree in Preventive Medicine in China. With a growing interest in disease prevention at the level of population health, he emigrated to the US to continue his education and training in Biostatistics and Epidemiology at Tulane University in New Orleans and The University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston. His research and experience are primarily focused on nutrition, the microbiome, liver diseases, and cancer prevention. By merging epidemiologic methods with innovative techniques and bioinformatic/statistical strategies, his current research examines the role of biological and modifiable factors in fatty liver diseases and liver cancer. He hopes to unravel risk factors and mechanisms to inform the development of new preventive interventions and clinical strategies.

About the collection

BMC Medicine called for submissions to our Collection on cancer prevention.

Cancer remains a formidable challenge, being the second most common cause of death globally. In 2020, newly diagnosed cancer cases stood at 18 million worldwide, and these annual incidence rates are projected to increase by 55% by year 2040. This poses a massive clinical, social, and economic burden. As we navigate the perplexities of this disease, the importance of cancer prevention is becoming increasingly apparent. Over the years, significant progress has been made in understanding risk factors as well as developing preventive and therapeutic strategies. However, many essential gaps remain to be addressed, and further preventive advances in the field are necessary to reverse the trend of a growing global cancer burden.

This Collection seeks to highlight developments in understanding the molecular, genetic, environmental, and lifestyle determinants that contribute to cancer development, and potential strategies to prevent their occurrence. We welcomed submissions that explore, but are not limited to, the following themes:

Emerging biomarkers and risk assessment: Delve into the latest discoveries in identifying biomarkers that can predict individual cancer risk

Lifestyle interventions: Explore the impact of lifestyle choices such as diet, physical activity, smoking cessation, and alcohol consumption on cancer prevention

Environmental and occupational exposures: Examine the role of environmental pollutants, occupational hazards, and other related exposures in cancer etiology

Vaccination strategies: Present novel insights into cancer prevention through vaccination, including both prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines

Chemoprevention and targeted therapies: Highlight advances in chemoprevention agents and targeted therapies that interfere with early carcinogenesis

Screening and early detection: Discuss innovative approaches to cancer screening and early detection technologies, including novel imaging modalities, liquid biopsies, and artificial intelligence applications for accurate and timely diagnosis

Preventing recurrence: Explore innovative methods and treatments designed to prevent cancer recurrence

Global implementation: Analyze the challenges and opportunities of implementing widespread cancer prevention measures, particularly in regions with limited resources

All manuscripts submitted to this journal, including those submitted to collections and special issues, are assessed in line with our editorial policies and the journal’s peer review process. Reviewers and editors are required to declare competing interests and can be excluded from the peer review process if a competing interest exists.

This Collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being.

  1. Biopsies are essential in differentiating benign from malignant lesions in routine gastroscopy. Nevertheless, redundant biopsies increase patients’ expenses and pathologists’ workload. Probe-based confocal las...

    Authors: Guanqun Liu, Guangchao Li, Zhen Li, Xuejun Shao, Rui Ji, Tian Ma, Yan Zhang, Jingran Su, Qingqing Qi, Jing Guo, Yishan He, Xiaoxiao Yang, Yanqing Li and Xiuli Zuo
    Citation: BMC Medicine 2025 23:527
  2. Preoperative diagnosis of muscle invasion and American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stage plays a crucial role in guiding treatment strategies for bladder cancer (BCa). Utilizing quantitative analysis of t...

    Authors: Ying Wang, Hexiang Wang, Na Li, Siyu Wu, Rongchao Shi, Kui Sun and Ximing Wang
    Citation: BMC Medicine 2025 23:328
  3. Cancer remains a leading global cause of mortality, responsible for nearly 10 million deaths in 2020. Given the country’s low birth rate and aging population, the escalating cancer burden poses significant cha...

    Authors: Jung Hyun Kim, Haedong Kim, Man S. Kim, Mison Chun and Jaeyong Shin
    Citation: BMC Medicine 2025 23:320
  4. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common cancers. Early detection of HCC helps improve the patients’ 5-year survival rate. Our goal was to identify superior methylation biomarkers to develop a ...

    Authors: Wenhao Teng, Hui Li, Hao Yang, Yu Chen, Liying Xi, Fuli Xin, Aiyuan Zhang, Lihui Yu, Lu Zheng, Ming Wang, Jian Bai, Fayong Ke, Yin Wang, Fuming Sun, Hui Zhang, Lin Wu…
    Citation: BMC Medicine 2025 23:278
  5. Hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy (HAIC) with a combination of oxaliplatin, fluorouracil, and leucovorin (FOLFOX) has shown excellent local control for patients with Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) s...

    Authors: Lujun Shen, Fei Cao, Ying Liu, Gulijiayina Nuerhashi, Letao Lin, Hontong Tan, Chunyong Wen, Yujia Wang, Shuanggang Chen, Hongliang Zou, Lin Xie and Weijun Fan
    Citation: BMC Medicine 2025 23:275
  6. While excess weight in adulthood and childhood has been associated with increased cancer risk, the link between body size change from childhood to adulthood and cancer risk requires further investigation. We a...

    Authors: Marko Mandic, Fatemeh Safizadeh, Ben Schöttker, Michael Hoffmeister and Hermann Brenner
    Citation: BMC Medicine 2025 23:268
  7. Diagnostic screenings for vulvar squamous intraepithelial lesions (VSIL) are limited and without information on disease trends. A panel of six methylation markers (ASTN1, DLX1, ITGA4, RXFP3, SOX17, ZNF671; Gyn...

    Authors: Sabeth Becker, Lena Dübbel, Dana Behrens, Kristin Knoll, Juliane Hippe, Karin Loser, Eduard Malik and Meike Schild-Suhren
    Citation: BMC Medicine 2025 23:128
  8. Although premature aging is a significant concern in adult survivors of childhood cancer, little is known about the role of diet in premature aging in this vulnerable population. Therefore, we examined whether...

    Authors: Tuo Lan, Mei Wang, AnnaLynn M. Williams, Matthew J. Ehrhardt, Jennifer Q. Lanctot, Shu Jiang, Kevin R. Krull, Gregory T. Armstrong, Melissa M. Hudson, Graham A. Colditz, Leslie L. Robison, Kirsten K. Ness and Yikyung Park
    Citation: BMC Medicine 2025 23:120
  9. Non-invasive multi-cancer early detection (MCED) tests have shown promise in enhancing early cancer detection. However, their clinical utility across diverse populations remains underexplored, limiting their r...

    Authors: Luu Hong Dang Nguyen, Thi Hue Hanh Nguyen, Van Hoi Le, Vinh Quang Bui, Lan Hieu Nguyen, Nhu Hiep Pham, Thanh Hai Phan, Huu Thinh Nguyen, Van Song Tran, Chi Viet Bui, Van Kha Vo, Pham Thanh Nhan Nguyen, Ha Huu Phuoc Dang, Van Dung Pham, Van Thinh Cao, Ngoc Minh Phan…
    Citation: BMC Medicine 2025 23:90
  10. Gastric intestinal metaplasia (GIM) represents an important precancerous lesion in intestinal-type gastric cancer, triggered by persistent Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection. In a previous study, we unveil...

    Authors: Shuwen Zheng, Yingying Wang, Chuxuan Ni, Rui Guo, Xunan Qiu, Jijun Chen, Lu Wang, Xiaohu Sun, Moye Chen, Yunen Liu, Yuan Yuan and Yuehua Gong
    Citation: BMC Medicine 2025 23:71
  11. Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is often diagnosed at an advanced stage due to the lack of non-invasive early detection tools, which significantly impacts patient prognosis. Given that glycosylation ...

    Authors: Jianlin Chen, Yue Zheng, Zhen Wang, Qi Gao, Kun Hao, Xiongfeng Chen, Nantian Ke, Xiang Lv, Jiamiao Weng, Yuhong Zhong, Zhixin Huang, Miao Fu, Lilan Zhao, Fan Lin, Hui Mi, Haijun Tang…
    Citation: BMC Medicine 2025 23:39
  12. The clinical translation of positron emission tomography (PET) radiotracers for cancer management presents complex challenges. We have developed consensus-based recommendations for preclinical and clinical ass...

    Authors: Martina A. McAteer, Daniel R. McGowan, Gary J. R. Cook, Hing Y. Leung, Tony Ng, James P. B. O’Connor, Luigi Aloj, Anna Barnes, Phil J. Blower, Kevin M. Brindle, John Braun, Craig Buckley, Daniel Darian, Paul Evans, Vicky Goh, David Grainger…
    Citation: BMC Medicine 2025 23:37
  13. To provide estimates and trends for burdens of early-onset colorectal cancer (EOCRC) from 1990 to 2021 at the global, regional, and national levels, and to provide projections of EOCRC burden through 2030.

    Authors: Yang Meng, Zongbiao Tan, Junhai Zhen, Di Xiao, Liwei Cai, Weiguo Dong and Changzheng Chen
    Citation: BMC Medicine 2025 23:34
  14. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is associated with an increased incidence of hepatic and extrahepatic cancers, in particular those linked to obesity. In people with chronic liver disease, aspirin may...

    Authors: Matthew Anson, Jun Shang Poon, Alex E. Henney, David Riley, Gema H. Ibarbaru, Cyril Sieberhagen, Daniel J. Cuthbertson, Uazman Alam and Theresa Hydes
    Citation: BMC Medicine 2024 22:574

    The Correction to this article has been published in BMC Medicine 2025 23:193

  15. The causal pathway between different dietary patterns (DPs) and gastric adenocarcinoma (GA) remains largely unexplored. The study aimed to identify DPs and evaluate how selected nutrients mediate the relations...

    Authors: Alex Richard Costa Silva, Gianfranco Alicandro, Valdete Regina Guandalini, Patrícia Paula da Fonseca Grili, Paulo Pimentel Assumpção, Mônica Santiago Barbosa, Rosane Oliveira de Sant’Ana, Felipe José Fernández Coimbra and Maria Paula Curado
    Citation: BMC Medicine 2024 22:562

    The Correction to this article has been published in BMC Medicine 2025 23:464

  16. The relationship between serum urea concentration and cancer in patients with metabolic syndrome (MetS) remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the association between serum urea concentration and 16 ...

    Authors: E Wu, Guo-Fang Wei, Yang Li, Meng-Kai Du and Jun-Tao Ni
    Citation: BMC Medicine 2024 22:536
  17. Adverse pregnancy outcomes have reached epidemic proportions in recent years with serious health ramifications, especially for diverse cancers risk. Therefore, we carried out an umbrella review to systematical...

    Authors: Na Liu, Rui-Han Bao, Yu-Jiao Chang, Fang-Hua Liu, Lang Wu, Jia-Yi Wang, Zi-Ping Niu, Shuai Ma, Yi-Xuan Men, Ke-Xin Liu, Dong-Hui Huang, Qian Xiao, Song Gao, Yue-Yang Zhao, Jian-Hua Fu, Qi-Jun Wu…
    Citation: BMC Medicine 2024 22:454
  18. A blood-based diagnostic test is a promising strategy for colorectal cancer (CRC). The MethyDT test (IColohunter), which detects methylation levels of NTMT1 and MAP3K14-AS1, exhibited potential in discriminating ...

    Authors: Zhijie Wang, Zixuan He, Rong Lin, Zhijie Feng, Xiuling Li, Xiangyu Sui, Lun Gu, Tian Xia, Dihan Zhou, Bali Zhao, Yanqing Li, Zhaoshen Li and Yu Bai
    Citation: BMC Medicine 2024 22:436
  19. Physical activity reduces colorectal cancer risk, yet the diurnal timing of physical activity in colorectal cancer etiology remains unclear.

    Authors: Michael J. Stein, Hansjörg Baurecht, Patricia Bohmann, Béatrice Fervers, Emma Fontvieille, Heinz Freisling, Christine M. Friedenreich, Julian Konzok, Laia Peruchet-Noray, Anja M. Sedlmeier, Michael F. Leitzmann and Andrea Weber
    Citation: BMC Medicine 2024 22:399
  20. The spatiotemporal epidemiological evidence supporting joint endoscopic screening for esophageal cancer (EC) and gastric cancer (GC) remains limited. This study aims to identify combined high-risk regions for ...

    Authors: Peng Li, Xin Qi, Ruhai Bai, Mei Yang, Jing Jing, Ruyi Xia, Jizhao Wang, Guangjian Zhang and Guihua Zhuang
    Citation: BMC Medicine 2024 22:364
  21. Sex disparity between metabolic-obesity (defined by body mass index, BMI) phenotypes and obesity-related cancer (ORC) remains unknown. Considering BMI reflecting overall obesity but not fat distribution, we ai...

    Authors: Jianxiao Gong, Fubin Liu, Yu Peng, Peng Wang, Changyu Si, Xixuan Wang, Huijun Zhou, Jiale Gu, Ailing Qin and Fangfang Song
    Citation: BMC Medicine 2024 22:355
  22. Early detection and treatment are effective methods for the management of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), which can be facilitated by the detection of tumor-specific OSCC biomarkers. The epidermal growth ...

    Authors: Nenghao Jin, Yu An, Yu Tian, Zeyu Zhang, Kunshan He, Chongwei Chi, Wei Mu, Jie Tian and Yang Du
    Citation: BMC Medicine 2024 22:342
  23. Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a common condition characterized by the reflux of stomach contents into the esophagus. Despite its widespread prevalence worldwide, the causal link between GERD and va...

    Authors: Gujie Wu, Yaqiong Liu, Dong Ning, Mengnan Zhao, Xiaoqing Li, Lu Chang, Qili Hu, Yao Li, Lin Cheng and Yiwei Huang
    Citation: BMC Medicine 2024 22:323
  24. Breast cancer is the second most common cause of cancer mortality worldwide. Biomarker discovery has led to advances in understanding molecular phenotyping and thus has a great potential for precision manageme...

    Authors: K-V. Savva, A. MacKenzie, R. C. Coombes, N. M. Zhifang, B. G. Hanna and C. J. Peters
    Citation: BMC Medicine 2024 22:307
  25. Evidence from observational studies indicates that lung cancer screening (LCS) guidelines with high rates of lung cancer (LC) underdiagnosis, and although current screening guidelines have been updated and eli...

    Authors: Yanyan Tang, Lina Zhou, Fei Wang, Yao Huang, Jianwei Wang, Shijun Zhao, Linlin Qi, Li Liu, Min Liang, Donghui Hou, Zhijian Xu, Kai Zhang, Wei Tang and Ning Wu
    Citation: BMC Medicine 2024 22:267
  26. Thyroid nodule (TN) patients in China are subject to overdiagnosis and overtreatment. The implementation of existing technologies such as thyroid ultrasonography has indeed contributed to the improved diagnost...

    Authors: Feihang Wang, Danyang Zhao, Wang-yang Xu, Yiying Liu, Huiyi Sun, Shanshan Lu, Yuan Ji, Jingjing Jiang, Yi Chen, Qiye He, Chengxiang Gong, Rui Liu, Zhixi Su, Yi Dong, Zhiping Yan and Lingxiao Liu
    Citation: BMC Medicine 2024 22:147
  27. Carbohydrates have been implicated in colorectal cancer (CRC) risk, but the specific impact of carbohydrate quality and quantity on CRC susceptibility in US populations remains unclear.

    Authors: Yi Xiao, Ling Xiang, Yahui Jiang, Yunhao Tang, Haitao Gu, Yaxu Wang and Linglong Peng
    Citation: BMC Medicine 2024 22:97
  28. While circulating metabolites have been increasingly linked to cancer risk, the causality underlying these associations remains largely uninterrogated.

    Authors: Yaxin Chen, Yufang Xie, Hang Ci, Zhengpei Cheng, Yongjie Kuang, Shuqing Li, Gang Wang, Yawen Qi, Jun Tang, Dan Liu, Weimin Li and Yaohua Yang
    Citation: BMC Medicine 2024 22:90
  29. Black men have higher prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels and higher prostate cancer incidence and mortality than White men, while Asian men tend to have lower prostate cancer incidence and mortality than W...

    Authors: Liz Down, Melissa Barlow, Sarah E. R. Bailey, Luke T. A. Mounce, Samuel W. D. Merriel, Jessica Watson and Tanimola Martins
    Citation: BMC Medicine 2024 22:82
  30. Annual screening through low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) is recommended for heavy smokers. However, it is questionable whether all individuals require annual screening given the potential harms of LDCT scr...

    Authors: Yin Liu, Huifang Xu, Lihong Lv, Xiaoyang Wang, Ruihua Kang, Xiaoli Guo, Hong Wang, Liyang Zheng, Hongwei Liu, Lanwei Guo, Qiong Chen, Shuzheng Liu, Youlin Qiao and Shaokai Zhang
    Citation: BMC Medicine 2024 22:73
  31. Mammography screening programmes (MSP) aim to reduce breast cancer mortality by shifting diagnoses to earlier stages. However, it is difficult to evaluate the effectiveness of current MSP because analyses can ...

    Authors: Laura Buschmann, Ina Wellmann, Nadine Bonberg, Jürgen Wellmann, Hans-Werner Hense, André Karch and Heike Minnerup
    Citation: BMC Medicine 2024 22:43
  32. The World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF)/American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) Cancer Prevention Recommendations are lifestyle-based recommendations which aim to reduce cancer risk. This study investigate...

    Authors: Fiona C. Malcomson, Solange Parra-Soto, Frederick K. Ho, Liya Lu, Carlos Celis-Morales, Linda Sharp and John C. Mathers
    Citation: BMC Medicine 2023 21:407

    The Comment to this article has been published in BMC Global and Public Health 2024 2:7

Submission Guidelines

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BMC Medicine encourages submissions of front matter articles and original research, including clinical trials (phase I-III, randomized-controlled, either positive or negative trials), epidemiological studies (retrospective or prospective), systematic reviews and meta-analyses, -omics, medical imaging, genomics studies and biomarkers research. Before submitting your manuscript, please ensure you have read our submission guidelines

To submit your manuscript to this Collection, please use our online submission system and indicate in your covering letter that you would like the article to be considered for inclusion in the "Cancer prevention" Collection.

All articles submitted to Collections are peer-reviewed in line with the journal’s standard peer-review policy and are subject to all of the journal’s standard editorial and publishing policies. This includes the journal’s policy on competing interests. 

The Guest 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 Guest Editors have competing interests is handled by another Editor or Editorial Board Member who has no competing interests.