# Topics and Trends in Most Cited Cancer-related Molecular Pathways Papers, Class of 2026

*Canonical URL: https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/cancer-related-molecular-pathways/2026*

## What topics and trends defined most-cited Cancer-related Molecular Pathways research in the Class of 2026?

The Class of 2026 in Cancer-related Molecular Pathways is defined by a deep focus on targeted therapies for breast cancer, particularly CDK4/6 inhibitors and endocrine therapy. However, the field is rapidly pivoting toward novel resistance mechanisms, marked by a surge in research on CDK2 and post-translational modifications.

## At a glance

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Field | Cancer-related Molecular Pathways |
| Cohort label | Class of 2026 (2024 publications) |
| Papers analyzed | 3,171 |
| Papers ranked | 20 |
| Top topics in ranked papers | CDK4/6 inhibitors, TP53 mutation, endocrine therapy, breast cancer |
| Publication window | Jan 1, 2024 – Dec 31, 2024 |
| Eligibility | Research articles; reviews excluded |
| Citation window | 18 months post-publication |
| 18m citation range | 39–272 |
| Data source | OpenAlex · Retrieved June 2026 |
| License | CC BY 4.0 |

## Rankings

| Rank | Title | Authors | Corresponding authors | Affiliation | Journal | 18m citations | DOI |
| ---: | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---: | --- |
| 1 | Alanyl-tRNA synthetase, AARS1, is a lactate sensor and lactyltransferase that lactylates p53 and contributes to tumorigenesis | Zhi Zong, Feng Xie, Shuai Wang, Xiaojin Wu, Zhenyu Zhang, Bing Yang, Fangfang Zhou | Fangfang Zhou | Soochow University, China | Cell | 272 | 10.1016/j.cell.2024.04.002 |
| 2 | Imlunestrant with or without Abemaciclib in Advanced Breast Cancer | Komal L Jhaveri, Patrick Neven, Monica Lis Casalnuovo, Sung-Bae Kim, Eriko Tokunaga, Philippe Aftimos, Cristina Saura, Joyce O'Shaughnessy, Nadia Harbeck, Lisa A Carey, Giuseppe Curigliano, Antonio Llombart-Cussac, Elgene Lim, María de la Luz García Tinoco, Joohyuk Sohn, André Mattar, Qingyuan Zhang, Chiun-Sheng Huang, Chih-Chiang Hung, Jorge Luis Martinez Rodriguez, Manuel Ruíz Borrego, Rikiya Nakamura, Kamnesh R Pradhan, Christoph Cramer von Laue, Emily Barrett, Shanshan Cao, Xuejing Aimee Wang, Lillian M Smyth, François-Clément Bidard, EMBER-3 Study Group | Komal L Jhaveri | Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, United States | New England Journal of Medicine | 153 | 10.1056/nejmoa2410858 |
| 3 | Abemaciclib plus a nonsteroidal aromatase inhibitor as initial therapy for HR+, HER2− advanced breast cancer: final overall survival results of MONARCH 3 | M P Goetz, M Toi, J Huober, J Sohn, O Trédan, I H Park, M Campone, S-C Chen, L M Manso, S Paluch-Shimon, O C Freedman, J O'Shaughnessy, X Pivot, S M Tolaney, S A Hurvitz, A Llombart-Cussac, V André, A Saha, G van Hal, A Shahir, H Iwata, S R D Johnston | M.P. Goetz | Mayo Clinic, United States | Annals of Oncology | 115 | 10.1016/j.annonc.2024.04.013 |
| 4 | Overall Survival With Palbociclib Plus Letrozole in Advanced Breast Cancer | Dennis J Slamon, Véronique Diéras, Hope S Rugo, Nadia Harbeck, Seock-Ah Im, Karen A Gelmon, Oleg N Lipatov, Janice M Walshe, Miguel Martin, Mariana Chavez-MacGregor, Eustratios Bananis, Eric Gauthier, Dongrui R Lu, Sindy Kim, Richard S Finn | Dennis J Slamon | University of California Los Angeles, United States | Journal of Clinical Oncology | 97 | 10.1200/jco.23.00137 |
| 5 | Ononin inhibits triple-negative breast cancer lung metastasis by targeting the EGFR-mediated PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway | Kumar Ganesan, Cong Xu, Jianming Wu, Bing Du, Qingqing Liu, Yue Sui, Cailu Song, Jinhui Zhang, Hailin Tang, Jianping Chen | Hailin Tang, Jianping Chen | The University of Hong Kong, China | Science China Life Sciences | 85 | 10.1007/s11427-023-2499-2 |
| 6 | PACE: A Randomized Phase II Study of Fulvestrant, Palbociclib, and Avelumab After Progression on Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 4/6 Inhibitor and Aromatase Inhibitor for Hormone Receptor–Positive/Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor–Negative Metastatic Breast Cancer | Erica L Mayer, Yue Ren, Nikhil Wagle, Reshma Mahtani, Cynthia Ma, Angela DeMichele, Massimo Cristofanilli, Jane Meisel, Kathy D Miller, Yara Abdou, Elizabeth C Riley, Rubina Qamar, Priyanka Sharma, Sonya Reid, Natalie Sinclair, Meredith Faggen, Caroline C Block, Naomi Ko, Ann H Partridge, Wendy Y Chen, Michelle DeMeo, Victoria Attaya, Amanda Okpoebo, Jillian Alberti, Yuan Liu, Eric Gauthier, Harold J Burstein, Meredith M Regan, Sara M Tolaney | Erica L Mayer | Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, United States | Journal of Clinical Oncology | 71 | 10.1200/jco.23.01940 |
| 7 | Discovery of WRN inhibitor HRO761 with synthetic lethality in MSI cancers | Stephane Ferretti, Jacques Hamon, Ruben de Kanter, Clemens Scheufler, Rita Andraos-Rey, Stephanie Barbe, Elisabeth Bechter, Jutta Blank, Vincent Bordas, Ernesta Dammassa, Andrea Decker, Noemi Di Nanni, Marion Dourdoigne, Elena Gavioli, Marc Hattenberger, Alisa Heuser, Christelle Hemmerlin, Jürgen Hinrichs, Grainne Kerr, Laurent Laborde, Isabel Jaco, Eloísa Jiménez Núñez, Hans-Joerg Martus, Cornelia Quadt, Markus Reschke, Vincent Romanet, Fanny Schaeffer, Joseph Schoepfer, Maxime Schrapp, Ross Strang, Hans Voshol, Markus Wartmann, Sarah Welly, Frédéric Zécri, Francesco Hofmann, Henrik Möbitz, Marta Cortés-Cros | Henrik Möbitz, Marta Cortés-Cros | Novartis BioMedical Research, Switzerland | Nature | 69 | 10.1038/s41586-024-07350-y |
| 8 | Direct and selective pharmacological disruption of the YAP–TEAD interface by IAG933 inhibits Hippo-dependent and RAS–MAPK-altered cancers | Emilie A Chapeau, Laurent Sansregret, Giorgio G Galli, Patrick Chène, Markus Wartmann, Thanos P Mourikis, Patricia Jaaks, Sabrina Baltschukat, Ines A M Barbosa, Daniel Bauer, Saskia M Brachmann, Clara Delaunay, Claire Estadieu, Jason E Faris, Pascal Furet, Stefanie Harlfinger, Andreas Hueber, Eloísa Jiménez Núñez, David P Kodack, Emeline Mandon, Typhaine Martin, Yannick Mesrouze, Vincent Romanet, Clemens Scheufler, Holger Sellner, Christelle Stamm, Dario Sterker, Luca Tordella, Francesco Hofmann, Nicolas Soldermann, Tobias Schmelzle | Emilie A. Chapeau, Tobias Schmelzle | Novartis BioMedical Research, Switzerland | Nature Cancer | 67 | 10.1038/s43018-024-00754-9 |
| 9 | Cell cycle dysregulation in cancer | Antonino Glaviano, Samarendra K Singh, E Hui Clarissa Lee, Elena Okina, Hiu Yan Lam, Daniela Carbone, E Premkumar Reddy, Mark J O'Connor, Andrew Koff, Garima Singh, Justin Stebbing, Gautam Sethi, Karen Carmelina Crasta, Patrizia Diana, Khandan Keyomarsi, Michael B Yaffe, Seth A Wander, Aditya Bardia, Alan Prem Kumar | Antonino Glaviano | University of Palermo, Italy | Pharmacological Reviews | 65 | 10.1016/j.pharmr.2024.100030 |
| 10 | Abemaciclib Plus Fulvestrant in Advanced Breast Cancer After Progression on CDK4/6 Inhibition: Results From the Phase III postMONARCH Trial | Kevin Kalinsky, Giampaolo Bianchini, Erika Hamilton, Stephanie L Graff, Kyong Hwa Park, Rinath Jeselsohn, Umut Demirci, Miguel Martin, Rachel M Layman, Sara A Hurvitz, Sarah Sammons, Peter A Kaufman, Montserrat Muñoz, Jiun-I Lai, Holly Knoderer, Cynthia Sandoval, Aarti R Chawla, Bastien Nguyen, Yanhong Zhou, Elizabeth Ravenberg, Lacey M Litchfield, Lillian Smyth, Seth A Wander | Kevin Kalinsky | Winship Cancer Institute, United States | Journal of Clinical Oncology | 63 | 10.1200/jco-24-02086 |
| 11 | Final Results of RIGHT Choice: Ribociclib Plus Endocrine Therapy Versus Combination Chemotherapy in Premenopausal Women With Clinically Aggressive Hormone Receptor–Positive/Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2–Negative Advanced Breast Cancer | Yen-Shen Lu, Eznal Izwadi Bin Mohd Mahidin, Hamdy Azim, Yesim Eralp, Yoon Sim Yap, Seock-Ah Im, Julie Rihani, Erhan Gokmen, Ahmed El Bastawisy, Nuri Karadurmus, Yueh Ni Lim, Chun Sen Lim, Le Thanh Duc, Wei-Pang Chung, K Govind Babu, Konstantin Penkov, James Bowles, Teresa Delgar Alfaro, Jiwen Wu, Melissa Gao, Khemaies Slimane, Nagi S El Saghir | Yen-Shen Lu | National Taiwan University Hospital, Taiwan | Journal of Clinical Oncology | 57 | 10.1200/jco.24.00144 |
| 12 | p53 at the crossroads of tumor immunity | Gizem Efe, Anil K Rustgi, Carol Prives | Anil K. Rustgi, Carol Prives | Columbia University Irving Medical Center, United States | Nature Cancer | 53 | 10.1038/s43018-024-00796-z |
| 13 | TSPAN8 <sup>+</sup> myofibroblastic cancer–associated fibroblasts promote chemoresistance in patients with breast cancer | Guangjian Fan, Bo Yu, Lei Tang, Rongxuan Zhu, Jianhua Chen, Ying Zhu, He Huang, Liying Zhou, Jun Liu, Wei Wang, Zhonghua Tao, Fengchun Zhang, Siwei Yu, Xiaoqing Lu, Yuan Cao, Shaoqian Du, Huihui Li, Junjian Li, Jian Zhang, He Ren, Olivier Gires, Haikun Liu, Xin Wang, Jun Qin, Hongxia Wang | Guangjian Fan, Bo Yu, Lei Tang, Rongxuan Zhu, Hongxia Wang | Shanghai General Hospital, China | Science Translational Medicine | 52 | 10.1126/scitranslmed.adj5705 |
| 14 | Relocalizing transcriptional kinases to activate apoptosis | Roman C Sarott, Sai Gourisankar, Basel Karim, Sabin Nettles, Haopeng Yang, Brendan G Dwyer, Juste M Simanauskaite, Jason Tse, Hind Abuzaid, Andrey Krokhotin, Tinghu Zhang, Stephen M Hinshaw, Michael R Green, Gerald R Crabtree, Nathanael S Gray | Roman C. Sarott, Sai Gourisankar, Basel A. Karim, Michael R. Green, Gerald R. Crabtree, Nathanael S. Gray | Stanford University, United States | Science | 52 | 10.1126/science.adl5361 |
| 15 | Anti-tumor efficacy of HRS-4642 and its potential combination with proteasome inhibition in KRAS G12D-mutant cancer | Caicun Zhou, Chongyang Li, Libo Luo, Xin Li, Keyi Jia, Ning He, Shiqi Mao, Wanying Wang, Chuchu Shao, Xinyu Liu, Kan Huang, Yaxin Yu, Xinlei Cai, Yingxue Chen, Zican Dai, Wei Li, Jia Yu, Jiayu Li, Feng Shen, Zaiyong Wang, Feng He, Xing Sun, Rongfu Mao, Wei Shi, Jun Zhang, Tao Jiang, Zhe Zhang, Fei Li, Shengxiang Ren | Caicun Zhou, Tao Jiang, Zhe Zhang, Fei Li, Shengxiang Ren | Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital, China | Cancer Cell | 50 | 10.1016/j.ccell.2024.06.001 |
| 16 | Mechanisms of Response and Tolerance to Active RAS Inhibition in <i>KRAS</i> -Mutant Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer | Haniel A Araujo, Ximo Pechuan-Jorge, Teng Zhou, Minh Truong Do, Xin Hu, Frank R Rojas Alvarez, Maria E Salvatierra, Heladio P Ibarguen, Richard Lee, Rashi Raghulan, Harshit Shah, Mariela A Moreno Ayala, Kevin Chen, Nataliya Tovbis Shifrin, Shuhong Wu, Luisa M Solis Soto, Marcelo V Negrao, Don L Gibbons, David S Hong, Jack A Roth, John V Heymach, Jianjun Zhang, Jingjing Jiang, Mallika Singh, Jacqueline A M Smith, Elsa Quintana, Ferdinandos Skoulidis | Ferdinandos Skoulidis | The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, United States | Cancer Discovery | 45 | 10.1158/2159-8290.cd-24-0421 |
| 17 | Control of cell proliferation by memories of mitosis | Franz Meitinger, Hazrat Belal, Robert L Davis, Mallory B Martinez, Andrew K Shiau, Karen Oegema, Arshad Desai | Franz Meitinger, Karen Oegema, Arshad Desai | University of California San Diego, United States | Science | 42 | 10.1126/science.add9528 |
| 18 | Lactate enhances NMNAT1 lactylation to sustain nuclear NAD+ salvage pathway and promote survival of pancreatic adenocarcinoma cells under glucose-deprived conditions | Huimin Huang, Shitong Wang, Hongping Xia, Xingling Zhao, Kaiyuan Chen, Guihua Jin, Shipeng Zhou, Zhaoliang Lu, Tongke Chen, Huajun Yu, Xiaoqun Zheng, Haishan Huang, Linhua Lan | Huimin Huang, Huajun Yu, Xiaoqun Zheng, Haishan Huang, Linhua Lan | Wenzhou Medical University, China | Cancer Letters | 40 | 10.1016/j.canlet.2024.216806 |
| 19 | Sonrotoclax overcomes BCL2 G101V mutation–induced venetoclax resistance in preclinical models of hematologic malignancy | Jiuyang Liu, Shuran Li, Qin Wang, Yingcai Feng, Haimei Xing, Xuefei Yang, Ying Guo, Yunhang Guo, Hanzi Sun, Xiaoxin Liu, Shasha Yang, Zhu Mei, Yutong Zhu, Zhenzhen Cheng, Shuaishuai Chen, Min Xu, Wenjing Zhang, Nanyan Wan, Jia Wang, Yanwen Ma, Shuo Zhang, Xudong Luan, Aiying Xu, Lin Li, Haitao Wang, Xiaolong Yang, Yuan Hong, Hai Xue, Xi Yuan, Nan Hu, Xiaomin Song, Zhiwei Wang, Xuesong Liu, Lai Wang, Ye Liu | Jiuyang Liu | BeiGene (Beijing) Co, Ltd, China | Blood | 40 | 10.1182/blood.2023019706 |
| 20 | Checkpoint Inhibition in Addition to Dabrafenib/Trametinib for BRAF <sup>V600E</sup> -Mutated Anaplastic Thyroid Carcinoma | Sarah Hamidi, Priyanka C Iyer, Ramona Dadu, Maria K Gule-Monroe, Anastasios Maniakas, Mark E Zafereo, Jennifer R Wang, Naifa L Busaidy, Maria E Cabanillas | Maria E. Cabanillas | The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, United States | Thyroid | 39 | 10.1089/thy.2023.0573 |

## Topic trends

### What Topics Define the Class of 2026?

The research landscape for the Class of 2026 is heavily anchored in targeted therapies and biomarker-driven treatments, particularly for breast cancer. The most prominent theme is the continued focus on CDK4/6 inhibitors and their clinical application in advanced, hormone receptor-positive, and HER2-negative breast cancers. Complementing this is a strong emphasis on endocrine therapy and specific agents like fulvestrant. Beyond targeted inhibitors, the molecular underpinnings of cancer progression remain critical areas of investigation, with significant attention given to TP53 mutations and the mechanisms of metabolic reprogramming. Furthermore, post-translational modifications are emerging as important focal points for understanding signaling pathways and potential therapeutic targets. Together, these topics underscore a mature but evolving field dedicated to refining precision medicine and overcoming therapeutic resistance in oncology.

*Leading research themes*

### How Did Topics Shift from the Class of 2025 to the Class of 2026?

A comparison between the Class of 2025 and 2026 reveals a notable maturation in research priorities, marked by shifts from established targets to novel resistance mechanisms. While CDK4/6 inhibitors remain dominant, their relative frequency experienced a slight decline, alongside a decreased focus on generic TP53 mutations. In their place, we observe a sharp, four-fold increase in studies investigating CDK2 and post-translational modifications. This suggests a strategic pivot toward addressing resistance pathways that emerge following initial CDK4/6 inhibition. Additionally, clinical classifications such as advanced breast cancer and hormone receptor-positive breast cancer saw significant growth, reflecting an increasing dedication to specific patient stratifications. Overall, the field is transitioning from initial pathway characterization toward a more nuanced understanding of secondary targets and metabolic reprogramming in advanced disease states.

*How topics shifted year over year*

## Cite this ranking

```
Pepkio Research Index (PRI). Topics and Trends in Most Cited Cancer-related Molecular Pathways Papers, Class of 2026. https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/cancer-related-molecular-pathways/2026. Accessed 2026-10-28.

Zheng Su, Tinsley Li, Thematic Shifts in Early-High-Impact Cancer Genomics and Diagnostics Research: A Bibliometric and Semantic Analysis. bioRxiv 2026.07.04.736459; doi: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.07.04.736459
```