Cancer represents the second leading cause of death worldwide. Despite the recent advances in the treatment of various types of cancers, the therapies currently available often fail and patients develop drug resistance. As a consequence, metastasis and/or relapse are frequently observed.

Steroid receptors (SRs) are a group of molecules that function as both signal transducers and transcription factors. They are well established therapeutic targets in cancer, and drug development has continued to focus on agents that either block steroid hormone production or bind to and modulate their receptors. Additionally, neoplastic transformation is often related to abnormal activation of growth factor receptors (GFRs) and their signaling pathways. Several GFRs with intrinsic tyrosine kinase activity have been implicated in tumorigenicity by increasing proliferation, suppressing apoptosis, or activating processes favoring cell invasiveness. Consequently, growth factor receptors became a rational target for therapeutic intervention. Therapies targeting SRs and growth factor receptors pathways, although initially effective, eventually become unsatisfactory.

Therefore, in order to develop more efficient drugs against SRs and GFRs and their related pathways, new efforts are necessary to deepen our understanding of molecular mechanisms underlying multifaceted cancers, identify new therapeutic targets, and consequently design new pharmacological drugs for cancer management. The identification of different proteins and pathways that mediate the downstream functions of SRs and GFRs may eventually provide additional therapeutic targets.

This special issue aims to cover research on the recent advances in the detection of new therapeutic targets and on molecular mechanisms underlying the development and progression of multifaceted cancers from the viewpoint of therapy. Studies examining the therapeutic efficacy of molecular-targeted drugs or novel therapeutic approaches are also welcomed. We invite authors to submit both original research articles and review articles that summarize our understanding of molecular mechanisms that have a pivotal role in cancer and could be targeted for therapies.

Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:

• Signaling transducers involved in cancer mechanisms
• Growth factor receptors as targets in cancer
• Steroid receptors as target in cancers
• Epigenetic and genetic modification responsible for resistance to anticancer therapy
• New drugs and pharmacological approaches in cancer therapy