In recent years, non-communicable diseases, including cancer, have shown a disproportionate increase in incidence and related mortality in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). By 2030, approximately three-quarters of all cancer deaths will occur in LMICs, with one in eight people experiencing a cancer diagnosis in their lifetime. Reasons for disparate trends include better risk factor control in high-income countries (lower infection-associated cancers, anti-smoking campaigns, and other preventive measures), educational resources, increased number of screening and surveillance programs with earlier detection of disease, and access to more effective cancer therapies. In contrast, many LMICs experience rising cancer incidence rates due to demographic transitions marked by aging population structures and a shift in prevalent risk factors (e.g., increasing tobacco use, alcohol consumption, unhealthy diets, physical inactivity). The underlying factors are complex and interrelated, contextualized to each country's setting, and merit further study.

In 2015, the United National General Assembly adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), built on the principle of “leaving no one behind.” The goals highlighted the importance of fighting inequalities across the world, and specifically, two goals, SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being and SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities, have the ambitious aim of reducing disparities within and among countries and ensuring healthy lives for all at all ages. In addition, the 2020 WHO report on cancer clearly states that cancer control is an integral component of the path toward universal health coverage and achieving SDGs. By investing wisely and equitably, cancer cases and deaths can be avoided, and premature mortality can be reduced by 2030.

Hence, to combat the high mortality of preventable and treatable cancer in LMICs, urgent efforts are needed to improve cancer control programs and educate the public to bridge knowledge gaps, address misconceptions, and debunk myths. In addition, several gaps in the research enterprise of LMICs, such as the scarcity of reliable data, a lack of clinical trials, as well as the lack of infrastructure and trained human resources, must be addressed to solve local and regional problems with acceptable, feasible, effective, and implementable solutions.

In recognition of this relevant field, we encourage submissions including but not limited to those addressing:

• Patient navigation in cancer care and its role in cancer control in LMICs

• Training of the workforce caring for patients with cancer in LMICs

• Decentralization of cancer care in LMICs

• Technology, infrastructures, and the need for implementation in cancer care in LMICs

• The role of AI and digital health in cancer care in LMICs

• Financial burden of cancer care on patients and their families

• The role of cancer registries in strengthening cancer control in LMICs

• Defining optimal cancer treatment approaches in LMICs using local evidence

• Clinical trials and cancer in LMICs

• Anticipation medicine and cancer in LMICs

• Trends in cancer research in LMICs

• National cancer control plans and their utility in LMICs and barriers to implementation

• Twinning and partnership in cancer care in LMICs

All manuscripts submitted to this journal, including those submitted to collections and special issues, are assessed in line with our editorial policies and the journal’s peer-review process. Reviewers and editors are required to declare competing interests and can be excluded from the peer review process if a competing interest exists.

This Collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being and SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities.

Mitochondria are vital organelles that govern cellular bioenergetics, metabolic flexibility, and programmed cell death. In cancer biology, the dynamic remodeling of mitochondria, through coordinated fusion, fission, and mitophagy, has emerged as a central determinant of how tumor cells adapt to fluctuating metabolic demands and hostile microenvironmental conditions. These remodeling events are driven by specialized regulatory proteins. Shifts in the activity or expression of these molecules can reconfigure mitochondrial architecture, influencing reactive oxygen species (ROS) signaling, metabolic flux, and cellular resilience. Importantly, inflammatory signals within the tumor microenvironment can modulate these processes by altering cytokine-driven stress responses and ROS levels, thereby shaping mitochondrial dynamics in ways that favor tumor adaptation and survival. Because tumor cells often exploit such altered dynamics to enhance proliferation, evade apoptosis, and thrive in hypoxic niches, dissecting these processes may reveal key vulnerabilities in cancer progression.

Investigating mitochondrial dynamics in cancer is therefore essential for shaping effective therapeutic approaches. Advances in live-cell imaging, genetic perturbation, and metabolic profiling have deepened our understanding of how structural alterations in mitochondria intersect with cancer-specific phenotypes, including metabolic rewiring and stress tolerance. Importantly, modulating fusion–fission balance or mitophagy pathways can disrupt bioenergetic stability, sensitize tumor cells to oxidative damage, and bolster responses to existing anticancer treatments. This expanding body of knowledge highlights the potential of targeting mitochondrial function not merely to suppress tumor growth, but also to overcome drug resistance and eliminate hard-to-treat cancer stem cell populations.

With this in mind, BMC Cancer is opening a Collection on Mitochondrial dynamics in cancer biology. Topics of interest include:

• Therapeutic targeting of mitochondrial fission and fusion
• Role of mitophagy in tumor progression
• Impact of mitochondrial dynamics on chemotherapy resistance
• Transfer of mitochondrial between cells in cancer
• Context-dependent remodelling of mitochondrial dynamics within inflammatory tumor microenvironments
• Interactions between inflammatory signaling, ROS, and mitochondrial function in cancer

All manuscripts submitted to this journal, including those submitted to collections and special issues, are assessed in line with our editorial policies and the journal’s peer review process. Reviewers and editors are required to declare competing interests and can be excluded from the peer review process if a competing interest exists.