Oncotarget

About Oncotarget

Oncotarget is a primarily oncology-focused, peer-reviewed, open access journal. Papers are published continuously within yearly volumes in their final and complete form and then quickly released to Pubmed. Oncotarget is now indexed by MEDLINE, PubMed and PMC/PubMed. Read about the Oncotarget Scientific Integrity Process: https://www.oncotarget.com/scientific_integrity/

Publisher

Oncotarget Podcast

Category

science

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

9 Jan 2017

Latest episode

20 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

652 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   20 Oct 2026

   Molecular Tumor Board Maps Precision Treatment Options for a Woman With Multiple Primary Cancers

   When one person develops several cancers over the course of many years, treatment decisions can become increasingly difficult. Each tumor may have a different biological origin, yet some may share genetic alterations that suggest a common ancestry or point toward the same therapeutic target. A recent case report shows how detailed molecular profiling and an international molecular tumor board can help disentangle these questions and identify possible strategies when standard treatment pathways become complicated. A precision oncology paper published in Volume 17 of Oncotarget, titled “WIN-MTB-2024017 – WIN International Molecular Tumor Board: A 48-year-old female with multiple primary cancers,” describes the clinical history and molecular evaluation of a woman carrying a pathogenic germline BRCA1 mutation who developed breast, skin, ovarian, colon, and later small bowel cancer. Full blog post - https://www.oncotarget.org/2026/10/20/molecular-tumor-board-maps-precision-treatment-options-for-a-woman-with-multiple-primary-cancers/ DOI - https://doi.org/10.18632/oncotarget.28899 Correspondence to - Wafik S. El-Deiry - wafik_el-deiry@brown.edu Abstract video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KIDbmq6ui8 Sign up for free Altmetric alerts about this article - https://oncotarget.altmetric.com/details/email_updates?id=10.18632%2Foncotarget.28899 Subscribe for free publication alerts from Oncotarget - https://www.oncotarget.com/subscribe/ Keywords - cancer, precision oncology, molecular tumor board To learn more about Oncotarget, please visit https://www.oncotarget.com and connect with us: Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Oncotarget/ X - https://twitter.com/oncotarget Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/oncotargetjrnl/ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@OncotargetJournal LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/oncotarget Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.com/oncotarget/ Reddit - https://www.reddit.com/user/Oncotarget/ Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0gRwT6BqYWJzxzmjPJwtVh MEDIA@IMPACTJOURNALS.COM

2. 

   14 Oct 2026

   Pan-Cancer Analysis Identifies Buckwheat-Derived Compound as Potential AKT1 Drug-Design Candidate

   BUFFALO, NY – October 14, 2026 – A new #research paper was #published in Volume 17 of #Oncotarget on October 12, 2026, titled “Integrative pan-cancer analysis of AKT1 and structure-based drug design by buckwheat derived compounds.” The study examined the role of AKT1 across 33 cancer types and identified fagopyrine, a naturally occurring compound found in buckwheat, as a potential starting point for developing new AKT1-targeting drugs. By combining large-scale cancer datasets with computational drug-design techniques, the researchers identified cancer-specific patterns of AKT1 expression and predicted that fagopyrine could bind strongly to the AKT1 protein. However, its ability to inhibit AKT1 or produce anticancer effects has not yet been experimentally demonstrated. The research was led by first and corresponding author Ramjan Sheikh, affiliated with the Plasma Cell Research Center and the Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University. AKT1 is a protein kinase involved in regulating cell growth, survival, metabolism and resistance to treatment. It functions within the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway, a major network that controls how cells respond to growth signals and changing metabolic conditions. When this pathway becomes abnormally activated, it can contribute to uncontrolled cell proliferation and cancer progression. Understanding how AKT1 behaves across different tumors may therefore help identify potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets. The researchers analyzed data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) covering 33 cancer types, integrating information from multiple databases on gene expression, genetic alterations, DNA methylation, patient survival, immune-cell infiltration and drug sensitivity. This approach allowed them to investigate both the shared functions of AKT1 and the differences in its biological significance across malignancies. Full press release - https://www.oncotarget.com/news/pr/pan-cancer-analysis-identifies-buckwheat-derived-compound-as-potential-akt1-drug-design-candidate/ DOI - https://doi.org/10.18632/oncotarget.28922 Correspondence to - Ramjan Sheikh - rsheikh1996@universepg.com (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-8248-7869) Abstract video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNoPbxo8YJQ Sign up for free Altmetric alerts about this article - https://oncotarget.altmetric.com/details/email_updates?id=10.18632%2Foncotarget.28922 Subscribe for free publication alerts from Oncotarget - https://www.oncotarget.com/subscribe/ Keywords - cancer, AKT1, pan-cancer, buckwheat, fagopyrine, molecular docking To learn more about Oncotarget, please visit https://www.oncotarget.com and connect with us: Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Oncotarget/ X - https://twitter.com/oncotarget Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/oncotargetjrnl/ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@OncotargetJournal LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/oncotarget Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.com/oncotarget/ Reddit - https://www.reddit.com/user/Oncotarget/ Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0gRwT6BqYWJzxzmjPJwtVh MEDIA@IMPACTJOURNALS.COM

3. 

   6 Oct 2026

   Epigenetic Silencing of TRAIL-R2 Is Linked to Aggressive Features in Breast Cancer

   Cancer cells often survive by disrupting the molecular pathways that normally eliminate damaged or abnormal cells. One of these pathways is apoptosis, a tightly controlled form of programmed cell death. New research suggests that an apoptosis-related receptor called TRAIL-R2 is frequently reduced in breast tumors and that epigenetic changes affecting its gene could contribute to this loss of expression. A research paper published in Volume 17 of Oncotarget, titled “TRAIL-R2 in the shadows: Epigenetic silencing and clinical implications in breast cancer,” investigated promoter methylation of TRAIL-R2 and its relationship with gene and protein expression in breast cancer. Why TRAIL-R2 Matters in Cancer Apoptosis helps the body remove cells that are damaged, abnormal, or no longer needed. Because this process can prevent potentially dangerous cells from surviving, disruption of apoptotic signaling is an important feature of cancer biology. One pathway involved in apoptosis is controlled by tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand, commonly known as TRAIL. TRAIL can interact with several receptors on the cell surface. Two of these, TRAIL-R1 and TRAIL-R2, contain intracellular death domains capable of transmitting signals that lead to apoptosis. TRAIL-R2 is also known as death receptor 5, or DR5. TRAIL-R2 is particularly complex because its effects are not always exclusively tumor suppressive. Activation of the receptor can promote apoptosis through the extrinsic cell-death pathway, but previous studies discussed by the authors have also linked TRAIL-R2 to non-apoptotic signaling pathways, including NF-κB, MAPK, and PI3K/Akt, that can support tumor survival or metastasis under certain conditions. This means that TRAIL-R2 activity depends partly on the biological context in which the receptor is expressed and activated. The researchers focused on another potential regulator of TRAIL-R2: DNA methylation. DNA methylation is an epigenetic process that can alter gene activity without changing the underlying DNA sequence. When methylation occurs in promoter regions, it can reduce transcription and effectively silence a gene. In cancer, abnormal promoter methylation is one mechanism by which genes involved in growth control or cell death can become less active. The study therefore asked whether TRAIL-R2 promoter methylation was increased in breast cancer and whether that change was accompanied by lower TRAIL-R2 expression. Full blog post - https://www.oncotarget.org/2026/10/06/epigenetic-silencing-of-trail-r2-is-linked-to-aggressive-features-in-breast-cancer/ DOI - https://doi.org/10.18632/oncotarget.28891 Correspondence to - Asia Asiaf - asiaf29@cukashmir.ac.in, and Showkat Ahmad Ganie - showkatganie@kashmiruniversity.ac.in Abstract video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvhkOYLTJUY Sign up for free Altmetric alerts about this article - https://oncotarget.altmetric.com/details/email_updates?id=10.18632%2Foncotarget.28891 Subscribe for free publication alerts from Oncotarget - https://www.oncotarget.com/subscribe/ Keywords - cancer, TRAIL-R2/DR5, promoter methylation, breast cancer biomarkers, tumor suppressor gene, apoptotic signalling pathways To learn more about Oncotarget, please visit https://www.oncotarget.com and connect with us: Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Oncotarget/ X - https://twitter.com/oncotarget Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/oncotargetjrnl/ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@OncotargetJournal LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/oncotarget Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.com/oncotarget/ Reddit - https://www.reddit.com/user/Oncotarget/ Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0gRwT6BqYWJzxzmjPJwtVh MEDIA@IMPACTJOURNALS.COM

Who has been a guest on Oncotarget

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Leonardo Gomes da Fonseca
• Federico Piñero
• Cleto Dantas Nogueira
• Samuel Frota
• Fabio Tavora

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

935,003

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

4 ratings

Spotify

1.0 / 5

1 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 81 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

95

Social presence

0

YouTube

86

Engagement

82

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Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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