Cancer is a complex genetic disease as a result of accumulated genomic alterations which serve as the driving force in initiating tumor development and propelling tumor progression. The Darwinian evolution theory of cancer predicts that clinically detectable tumors harbor the molecular genetic changes that are causally related to uncontrolled growth, survival in dynamic microenvironment, invasion into surrounding normal tissues, and metastasis to distant organs. Various forms of genomic abnormalities have occurred in cancers, such as point mutations, DNA copy number alterations, and chromosomal rearrangements. Proto-oncogenes are typically activated by gene amplifications, gene translocations, and activating intragenic mutations, whereas tumor suppressors are inactivated by gene deletions (loss of heterozygosity or homologous deletion), inactivating intragenic mutations, and epigenetic silencing. Recent advances in molecular genomic technology and the success of human genome project have empowered investigators with new tools in analyzing cancer genome in great details and have expedited the discovery of new cancer-associated genes. Decoding the genetic history present in tumor DNA, as well as identification and characterization of molecular changes involving cancer-associated genes and the pathways they controlled, has not only shed new light on the molecular etiology of cancer, but also has promised for the development of new diagnostic markers and novel therapeutics.

In this special issue, we invite authors to present original research articles as well as timely reviews that will stimulate the continuing efforts in identifying and characterizing new biomarkers and therapeutic targets in female reproductive cancers including breast, ovarian, endometrial, and cervical cancer. Studies that evaluate mutations, bioinformatics for genome-wide data analysis, biomarkers to predict prognosis and treatment outcome, as well as preclinical and clinical studies in new therapeutic development are particularly welcome. Translational studies that focus on assessing the clinical significance of expression of biomarkers are also encouraged.

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