One of the emerging issues in the field of oncology is the role of molecular chaperones in the mechanism of cancer and, consequently, another key issue is the development of tools for diagnosis and treatment targeting chaperones. Both these themes, central to cancer biology, pathology, and clinics, will be included in the issue.

Some forms of cancer can be classified as “chaperonopathies by mistake” because the molecular chaperones expressed by tumor cells help their growth, proliferation, and metastasization and mediate their resistance against peritumoral environmental stressors. Namely, these chaperones work for the tumor rather than to defend the host. Efforts must be directed toward finding ways to eliminate or block these “mistaken” chaperones. This strategy of negative chaperonotherapy is currently being incorporated to the battery of other approaches such as chemo- and immunotherapy to treat cancer.

The aim of this special issue is to disseminate the concept of cancer as a chaperonopathy and direct the attention to the promise of chaperonotherapy. It aims at spreading the knowledge that chaperones participate in a number of biochemical pathways important for the survival of the tumor cells. For this reason, chaperones can no longer be considered just biomarkers but important key players in the biochemistry of cancer. Thus, chaperones should be considered crucial agents in carcinogenesis and central targets in therapeutics. We strongly encourage submissions of both original articles and review articles.

Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:

• HSPD/E (Hsp60/Hsp10) and cancer: role in carcinogenesis, prognosis, and theranostics
• HSPA (Hsp70) family and cochaperones: role in carcinogenesis, prognosis, and theranostics
• HSPC (Hsp90) in carcinogenesis: update on clinical trials on the use of Hsp90inhibitors in the therapy of breast cancer
• HSPB (small HSPs) in carcinogenesis
• HSPH (heavy HSPS) in carcinogenesis