Nature Reviews Cancer, Published online: 09 December 2025; doi:10.1038/s41568-025-00899-4A study published in Science shows that liver zonation shapes hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development. In mice, HCC predominantly originates from zone 3 hepatocytes, where GSTM2 and GSTM3 drive initiation by inhibiting ferroptosis, revealing metabolic vulnerabilities in liver cancer.

Tumour heterogeneity has a substantial impact on tumour progression and treatment response, yet bulk expression data obtained from clinical tumour samples obscure this complexity. Computational deconvolution methods can resolve cell-type-specific signals. This Review offers a practical guide for cancer researchers to select deconvolution methods and maximize the utility of bulk transcriptomic data.

Nature Reviews Cancer, Published online: 08 December 2025; doi:10.1038/s41568-025-00898-5Patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE), although well established in clinical settings, remains less well defined in laboratory-based settings, where infrastructure to support meaningful collaboration is limited. In this Comment, the authors propose a novel framework for embedding PPIE ambassadors into basic cancer research pipelines, outlining strategies to address power imbalances, enhance communication and facilitate knowledge translation.

Nature Reviews Cancer, Published online: 08 December 2025; doi:10.1038/s41568-025-00893-wMacrophages can eliminate cancer cells through phagocytosis, which is tightly regulated through inhibition and activation of various phagocytic receptors. In this Review, Veillette and colleagues outline how targeting these phagocytic checkpoints could be harnessed therapeutically, address therapeutic efficacy concerns, and propose strategies to enhance therapeutic outcomes in future clinical applications.

Nature Reviews Cancer, Published online: 08 December 2025; doi:10.1038/s41568-025-00889-6In this Review Luo, Kharas and Jaffrey outline how N6-methyladenosine (m6A) RNA modification affects RNA stability, translation, splicing and immune responses to influence cancer biology. They discuss emerging evidence on how m6A may influence cancer metabolic reprogramming and outline the challenges and opportunities of targeting m6A writers, erasers and readers for cancer therapy.

Macropinocytosis enables cancer cells to absorb nutrients from their environment, supporting growth and therapy resistance. In this Review, Tang, Wang, Kroemer and Kang outline its regulatory mechanisms, implications for treatment strategies and potential as a target for enhancing therapeutic efficacy in oncology.

A common side effect of treatment with taxane-based chemotherapy is peripheral neuropathy. Now, Fonseca et al. uncover the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress response in leukocytes as the effective mediator of paclitaxel-induced peripheral nerve damage.

Nature Reviews Cancer, Published online: 03 December 2025; doi:10.1038/s41568-025-00890-zConcomitant medications are emerging as a modifiable prognostic factor for immune checkpoint inhibitor treatment outcomes. This Review by Stone et al. highlights the potential immunomodulatory interactions of commonly prescribed medications and supplements, and proposes strategies to make better use of this information to guide clinical care.

Nature Reviews Cancer, Published online: 02 December 2025; doi:10.1038/s41568-025-00886-9Tumour heterogeneity has a substantial impact on tumour progression and treatment response, yet bulk expression data obtained from clinical tumour samples obscure this complexity. Computational deconvolution methods can resolve cell-type-specific signals. This Review offers a practical guide for cancer researchers to select deconvolution methods and maximize the utility of bulk transcriptomic data.

Nature Reviews Cancer, Published online: 28 November 2025; doi:10.1038/s41568-025-00896-7A common side effect of treatment with taxane-based chemotherapy is peripheral neuropathy. Now, Fonseca et al. uncover the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress response in leukocytes as the effective mediator of paclitaxel-induced peripheral nerve damage.

Although ferroptosis, an iron-dependent form of regulated cell death, is emerging as a therapeutic vulnerability in cancer, clinical translation is hindered by context-dependent regulation, a lack of predictive biomarkers and challenges in clinical trial design. In this Review, Wahida and Conrad examine the biological basis of ferroptosis, including its immunogenic potential, and outline the necessary steps towards translating ferroptosis-based therapies into the clinic.

Neurotoxicity impacting the central and peripheral nervous systems is a considerable adverse effect of both conventional and novel cancer therapies. In this Review, Karschnia et al. outline what is currently known about the mechanisms that underlie the clinical symptoms of central nervous system injury and peripheral neuropathy and the ongoing development of interventions to treat and prevent this unmet medical need.

In this Review, Kennel and Greten highlight the role of immune cells in colorectal cancer (CRC) development, progression and metastasis as well as the impact of therapies on the immune microenvironment. They emphasize the need for novel strategies to enhance immunogenicity and CRC patient stratification to improve outcomes.

Neurotoxicity impacting the central and peripheral nervous systems is a considerable adverse effect of both conventional and novel cancer therapies. In this Review, Karschnia et al. outline what is currently known about the mechanisms that underlie the clinical symptoms of central nervous system injury and peripheral neuropathy and the ongoing development of interventions to treat and prevent this unmet medical need.

Nature Reviews Cancer, Published online: 24 November 2025; doi:10.1038/s41568-025-00892-xMacropinocytosis enables cancer cells to absorb nutrients from their environment, supporting growth and therapy resistance. In this Review, Tang, Wang, Kroemer and Kang outline its regulatory mechanisms, implications for treatment strategies and potential as a target for enhancing therapeutic efficacy in oncology.

In this Journal Club, Basurto-Lozada and Robles-Espinoza discuss a study that challenges the prevailing view of a monoclonal origin of cancer by showing that early lesions in mouse models of colorectal cancer are polyclonal.

This Review by Imianowski et al. outlines the various contributions that regulatory T cells, present in the tumour microenvironment, make towards tumour progression and highlight the ways in which they represent attractive next-generation immunotherapeutic targets.

Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) influence cancer initiation, progression and metastasis through immunosuppressive mechanisms within the tumour microenvironment. In this Review, Shahzad et al. highlight our recent understanding of NET biology in cancer and emphasize both the translational data available and the need for further clinical trials evaluating NETs and NET-directed therapies.

Nature Reviews Cancer, Published online: 14 November 2025; doi:10.1038/s41568-025-00895-8In this Journal Club, Basurto-Lozada and Robles-Espinoza discuss a study that challenges the prevailing view of a monoclonal origin of cancer by showing that early lesions in mouse models of colorectal cancer are polyclonal.

In this Perspective, de Magalhães explores the evolutionary relationship between cancer and ageing, proposing that the need to minimize cancer risk early in life may contribute to tissue degeneration later on, representing a trade-off that constrains the evolution of longer lifespans.

Nature Reviews Cancer, Published online: 12 November 2025; doi:10.1038/s41568-025-00888-7Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) influence cancer initiation, progression and metastasis through immunosuppressive mechanisms within the tumour microenvironment. In this Review, Shahzad et al. highlight our recent understanding of NET biology in cancer and emphasize both the translational data available and the need for further clinical trials evaluating NETs and NET-directed therapies.

Transcriptional and epigenetic mechanisms governing T cell exhaustion substantially impact immunotherapy effectiveness. In this Review, Kang et al. outline epigenetic regulatory programmes that influence T cell differentiation fates, proposing strategies to enhance clinical outcomes and immunotherapy durability in cancer through improved understanding of T cell biology.