The "chronology of cancer" describes the nature of cancers through the measure of time, extending from carcinogenesis to development, progression, and metastasis. Gastrointestinal cancer is caused by multiple factors through a multi-step process such as accumulation of genetic and epigenetic alterations etc. Various chronologies of gastrointestinal cancers have been reported for carcinogenesis caused by different risk factors which are useful for developing cancer prevention strategies. Combining the factors of time and tumor growth helps to estimate the time at which cancer or metastasis occurred and to predict the survival of cancer patients. It is noteworthy that these chronologies have significant differences among individual cases, even of cancers derived from the same organ. Genetic mutations, DNA damage, environmental carcinogens, radiation, and toxic chemicals have been potentially known to cause cancer. Recently, gut microbiota has gotten much attention for their association with multiple cancers, especially gastrointestinal cancers. Chronic Helicobacter pylori has been described as an important risk factor for the development of atrophic gastritis, intestinal metaplasia, and gastric cancer.
Moreover, gut microbiota plays role in maintaining a healthy body state, preserving symbiosis with the host immune system, which generates protective responses against pathogens and regulatory pathways that sustain the tolerance to commensal microbes. Recently, it has been highlighted that the resident microbiota influences the initiation and development of cancer and its response to therapies and that specific changes in the number and distribution of taxa correlate with the existence of cancers in various tissues. However, the knowledge of the functional activity and the meaning of microbiome changes remain limited. Thus, alterations in the gut microbiota are being monitored to assess the antitumor response of the drugs as well as the modulation of the intestinal immune system. It has been indicated that dysbiosis of gut microbiota and associated metabolites contribute to carcinogenesis through multiple pathways such as inducing inflammation, immune dysregulation, and genetic instability. In all, the studies have been conducted to understand the various features of the complex microbial communities and related metabolites, as well as the possible mechanisms through which the microbiota are involved in cancer prevention, carcinogenesis, and anti-cancer therapy.
The aim of the current special project is to collect the articles related to the influence of gut microbiota on the development of gastrointestinal (GI) cancers (including esophageal, gastric, colorectal, liver, and pancreatic cancers) and new strategies in the prevention and treatment of GI cancers. We welcome full-length research articles, short communications, case reports, reviews, and comprehensive bioinformatics data papers related to the proposed topic for peer review and publication.
The "chronology of cancer" describes the nature of cancers through the measure of time, extending from carcinogenesis to development, progression, and metastasis. Gastrointestinal cancer is caused by multiple factors through a multi-step process such as accumulation of genetic and epigenetic alterations etc. Various chronologies of gastrointestinal cancers have been reported for carcinogenesis caused by different risk factors which are useful for developing cancer prevention strategies. Combining the factors of time and tumor growth helps to estimate the time at which cancer or metastasis occurred and to predict the survival of cancer patients. It is noteworthy that these chronologies have significant differences among individual cases, even of cancers derived from the same organ. Genetic mutations, DNA damage, environmental carcinogens, radiation, and toxic chemicals have been potentially known to cause cancer. Recently, gut microbiota has gotten much attention for their association with multiple cancers, especially gastrointestinal cancers. Chronic Helicobacter pylori has been described as an important risk factor for the development of atrophic gastritis, intestinal metaplasia, and gastric cancer.
Moreover, gut microbiota plays role in maintaining a healthy body state, preserving symbiosis with the host immune system, which generates protective responses against pathogens and regulatory pathways that sustain the tolerance to commensal microbes. Recently, it has been highlighted that the resident microbiota influences the initiation and development of cancer and its response to therapies and that specific changes in the number and distribution of taxa correlate with the existence of cancers in various tissues. However, the knowledge of the functional activity and the meaning of microbiome changes remain limited. Thus, alterations in the gut microbiota are being monitored to assess the antitumor response of the drugs as well as the modulation of the intestinal immune system. It has been indicated that dysbiosis of gut microbiota and associated metabolites contribute to carcinogenesis through multiple pathways such as inducing inflammation, immune dysregulation, and genetic instability. In all, the studies have been conducted to understand the various features of the complex microbial communities and related metabolites, as well as the possible mechanisms through which the microbiota are involved in cancer prevention, carcinogenesis, and anti-cancer therapy.
The aim of the current special project is to collect the articles related to the influence of gut microbiota on the development of gastrointestinal (GI) cancers (including esophageal, gastric, colorectal, liver, and pancreatic cancers) and new strategies in the prevention and treatment of GI cancers. We welcome full-length research articles, short communications, case reports, reviews, and comprehensive bioinformatics data papers related to the proposed topic for peer review and publication.