Gastrointestinal (GI) cancers, including the different organs of the digestive system: esophagus, stomach, liver, gallbladder, pancreas, small intestine, large intestine, rectum, and anus, are among the most common cancers worldwide. Due to the growing and aging of the population, the global estimated incidence is expected to increase to 21.7 million cancer cases and 13 million cancer deaths by 2030, according to the World Health Organization.
Chemotherapy has achieved some clinical efficacy for GI cancer treatment, and chemotherapy with multiple drug regimens may be the only treatment option for patients with recurrent and metastatic GI cancers. However, some patients still show no response. Recent immune checkpoint inhibitors represent a highly effective therapeutic option, but intrinsic and acquired resistance have also been commonly observed. Development of drug resistance is a major obstacle facing current treatment. Cancer drug resistance can be developed by a variety of mechanisms, including hyperactivation of alternate pathways, changes in DNA damage repair, and mutations in drug targets. Unfortunately, the underlying mechanism of adaptive changes during resistance development in GI cancers is still unclear. A more detailed understanding of the intrinsic mechanisms should lead to the discovery of new and improved anticancer drugs.
The purpose of this Research Topic is to investigate the mechanisms of chemo-resistance in GI cancers, aiming to broaden our knowledge of the molecular events contributing to drug resistance. Omics and bioinformatics studies that reveal new molecular aspects of drug resistance in GI cancers are also welcome. Submissions of Original Research, Reviews, and other article types, may focus on, but are not limited to, the following subtopics:
1. Identification of cancer subtype that frequently develops resistance to chemotherapy.
2. Discovering new signaling pathway or target associated with drug resistance.
3. New biomarkers that predict response to chemotherapy.
4. Clonal dynamics towards the development of chemo-resistance.
5. Applying bulk sequencing as well as single cell sequencing approaches to study the molecular mechanisms of chemo-resistance.
6. Development of innovative approach, new technology, or bioinformatics analysis tool, with an emphasis on novel drug target identification.
Keywords: Gastrointestinal cancers; drug resistance; molecular events; biomarkers; drug target
Gastrointestinal (GI) cancers, including the different organs of the digestive system: esophagus, stomach, liver, gallbladder, pancreas, small intestine, large intestine, rectum, and anus, are among the most common cancers worldwide. Due to the growing and aging of the population, the global estimated incidence is expected to increase to 21.7 million cancer cases and 13 million cancer deaths by 2030, according to the World Health Organization.
Chemotherapy has achieved some clinical efficacy for GI cancer treatment, and chemotherapy with multiple drug regimens may be the only treatment option for patients with recurrent and metastatic GI cancers. However, some patients still show no response. Recent immune checkpoint inhibitors represent a highly effective therapeutic option, but intrinsic and acquired resistance have also been commonly observed. Development of drug resistance is a major obstacle facing current treatment. Cancer drug resistance can be developed by a variety of mechanisms, including hyperactivation of alternate pathways, changes in DNA damage repair, and mutations in drug targets. Unfortunately, the underlying mechanism of adaptive changes during resistance development in GI cancers is still unclear. A more detailed understanding of the intrinsic mechanisms should lead to the discovery of new and improved anticancer drugs.
The purpose of this Research Topic is to investigate the mechanisms of chemo-resistance in GI cancers, aiming to broaden our knowledge of the molecular events contributing to drug resistance. Omics and bioinformatics studies that reveal new molecular aspects of drug resistance in GI cancers are also welcome. Submissions of Original Research, Reviews, and other article types, may focus on, but are not limited to, the following subtopics:
1. Identification of cancer subtype that frequently develops resistance to chemotherapy.
2. Discovering new signaling pathway or target associated with drug resistance.
3. New biomarkers that predict response to chemotherapy.
4. Clonal dynamics towards the development of chemo-resistance.
5. Applying bulk sequencing as well as single cell sequencing approaches to study the molecular mechanisms of chemo-resistance.
6. Development of innovative approach, new technology, or bioinformatics analysis tool, with an emphasis on novel drug target identification.
Keywords: Gastrointestinal cancers; drug resistance; molecular events; biomarkers; drug target