Tumor innervation and mitochondrial transfer in the cancer pathogenesis: perspectives on genitourinary malignancies

Sep 23, 2026

Recent advances expand understanding of how mitochondria and tumor innervation shape tumorigenesis. Mitochondria are now linked to immune modulation within the tumor microenvironment, therapy resistance, and metastatic progression, and evidence shows mitochondria can be transferred from neurons to cancer cells to increase invasiveness. This review synthesizes nerve–cancer interactions with a focused lens on genitourinary malignancies and discusses how these insights could guide novel therapeutic target development.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages14

Reading Time35 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Cancer neurogenesis: role and importance for tumor development

TYPE Review PUBLISHED 14 January 2026 DOI 10.3389/fonc.2025.1710038 OPEN ACCESS EDITED BY Sharon R. Pine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, United States REVIEWED BY Ewa Czeslawa Izycka-Swieszewska, Medical University of Gdansk, Poland Adriana Jime´nez, Hospital Ju´arez de Me´xico, Mexico *CORRESPONDENCE Leonardo Oliveira Reis [reisleo.l@gmail.com](reisleo.l@gmail.com) RECEIVED 21 September 2025 REVISED 14 November 2025 ACCEPTED 23 December 2025 PUBLISHED 14 January 2026 CITATION Assoni L, Baboghlian J, Castilho RF and Reis LO (2026) Tumor innervation and mitochondrial transfer in the cancer pathogenesis: perspectives on genitourinary malignancies. Front. Oncol. 15:1710038 . doi: 10.3389/fonc.2025.1710038 COPYRIGHT © 2026 Assoni, Baboghlian, Castilho and Reis. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) . The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. Tumor innervation and mitochondrial transfer in the cancer pathogenesis: perspectives on genitourinary malignancies Lucas Assoni 1, Juliana Baboghlian 1, Roger Frig´erio Castilho 2 and Leonardo Oliveira Reis 1,3,4* 1 UroScience, School of Medical Sciences, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil, 2 Department of Pathology, School of Medical Sciences, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil, 3 ImmunOncology, Pontiﬁcal Catholic University of Campinas (PUC-Campinas), Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil, 4 Institutos Nacionais de Ciˆencia, Tecnologia e Inovaão (INCT) UroGen, National Institute of Science, Technology and Innovation in Genitourinary Cancer, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil Recent advances have signiﬁcantly expanded our understanding of the roles played by mitochondria and tumor innervation in tumorigenesis. Once viewed primarily as contributors to energy production and metastatic dissemination, mitochondria are now recognized as central players in broader processes, including immune modulation within the tumor microenvironment, therapy resistance, and metastatic progression. Interestingly, the ﬁndings have eventually converged, and evidence now shows that mitochondria can be transferred from neurons to tumor cells, resulting in enhanced invasiveness. While these discoveries are promising, they also present new challenges that must be addressed. As the interconnection between neuroscience, oncology, and immunology continues to deepen, these insights open new avenues for the development of innovative therapeutic strategies. This review explores the most recent ﬁndings regarding nerve-cancer interaction, with a speciﬁc focus on genitourinary cancers, highlights their emerging intersections, and discusses how these insights may inform the development of novel therapeutic targets for cancer treatment. KEYWORDS tumor innervation, cancer immunology, mitochondria transfer, plasticity, oncogenesis, genitourinary cancer 1 Introduction Cancer remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide, with the highest incidence of primary tumors observed in the breast, prostate, lung, and colorectal tissues. Despite advances in therapeutic strategies, projection models indicate an increase in both incidence and, particularly, mortality rates in underdeveloped countries when Frontiers in Oncology 01 [frontiersin.org](frontiersin.org) compared to developed ones, suggesting a trend to a signiﬁcantly higher burden in countries with less developed healthcare systems (1) . In the ongoing search for a better understanding of the processes that mediate cancer development, recent ﬁndings have highlighted the signiﬁcant role of tumor

FAQs

What new roles do mitochondria play in cancer beyond energy production?

Mitochondria are linked to immune modulation in the tumor microenvironment, therapy resistance, and metastatic progression.

How can mitochondria transfer affect tumor behavior?

Evidence indicates mitochondria can be transferred from neurons to tumor cells, correlating with increased invasiveness and metastatic potential.

What is the review’s specific focus regarding cancer types?

The review focuses on genitourinary cancers, emphasizing how nerve–cancer interactions intersect with mitochondrial transfer in cancer pathogenesis.

Sep 23, 2026

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