Nature Cancer, Published online: 01 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s43018-026-01254-8TP53 gene alterations are common cancer drivers and a focus of intense translational and clinical research. However, effective p53-targeted therapies remain elusive. This Clinical Outlook examines the evolving clinical landscape, highlighting recent advances and emerging strategies for improving outcomes in TP53-mutated malignancies.

Nature Cancer, Published online: 29 September 2026; doi:10.1038/s43018-026-01239-7Cytology is required for cancer screening and cancer diagnosis, yet most artificial intelligence systems assist cytology at individual tasks and specific specimen types. We developed CROWN, a universal foundation model for cytology that has the potential to support a broad spectrum of diagnostic applications across organs, diseases and clinical settings.

Nature Cancer, Published online: 25 September 2026; doi:10.1038/s43018-026-01242-yAlexandrov and colleagues summarize the current understanding of complex mutational phenomena in human cancers and their associations with therapy and clinical outcomes.

Nature Cancer, Published online: 25 September 2026; doi:10.1038/s43018-026-01238-8Lee and colleagues report that ischemic stroke induces the generation of an astrocytic population that, through reduced calcium signaling, favors the recruitment of tumor-associated macrophages, thereby promoting glioma invasion in preclinical models.

Nature Cancer, Published online: 23 September 2026; doi:10.1038/s43018-026-01244-wCancer therapies have evolved substantially in recent decades; however, there remains a pressing need for new therapeutic options. Our Series on Next-Generation Cancer Therapeutics presents commissioned Reviews and opinion pieces on the latest therapeutic approaches and their implementation in the existing clinical landscape.

Nature Cancer, Published online: 22 September 2026; doi:10.1038/s43018-026-01202-6Cancer cachexia is a common wasting syndrome in individuals with cancer that involves activation of PKA in white adipose tissue, but the mechanisms that control PKA activity are unclear. A study now identifies iron-activated MSRA as a regulator of PKA in cancer cachexia, which reduces oxidized PKA and thereby increases PKA activity.

Nature Cancer, Published online: 22 September 2026; doi:10.1038/s43018-026-01234-yChio and colleagues describe an iron-dependent pathway with a role in the induction of cancer cachexia-linked events such as adipose browning and identify methionine sulfoxide reductase A as an important and targetable factor in this process.

Nature Cancer, Published online: 18 September 2026; doi:10.1038/s43018-026-01240-0Zheng, Zheng, Wang, Zhang et al. developed CROWN, a universal visual foundation model for cytopathology, which they benchmarked on more than 200 real-world cytology tasks across cohorts, including lymph node metastasis and cervical screening datasets.