Gastrointestinal cancers can affect any part of the digestive tract and globally account for 26% of all cancers and 35% of cancer-related mortality. Among these, pancreatic cancer stands out with a mortality rate of over 90%, making it the deadliest cancer. Despite decades of research into innovative treatment options, gastrointestinal cancers are on the rise, posing a significant challenge in oncology. Consequently, there is an urgent need for new treatments and diagnostic methods.Targeted therapeutics, including nanotherapeutics, have recently emerged as promising solutions for the treatment and imaging of gastrointestinal cancer cells. Recognized for their targeted drug delivery, prolonged drug release, and rapid cell internalization, these therapies offer several advantages, including the reduction of systemic toxicity associated with chemotherapeutics and precision targeting of specific cell types.Currently, while cancer nanotherapeutics have progressed substantially in clinical trials for various types of cancers, there is much potential to broaden their impact across different gastrointestinal cancers. Initial promising results from nanodelivery of chemotherapeutics in animal models have shown potential to improve prognoses for gastrointestinal cancer patients more broadly, beyond pancreatic cancer.This Research Topic proposes to explore innovative targeted therapeutic approaches, including but not limited to nanotherapeutics, for gastrointestinal cancers such as pancreatic, colorectal, gastric, and others. We aim to investigate novel treatments, testing new drugs, or novel combinations of drugs with commonly used therapeutics that target key pathways and cell types involved in these cancers.
Gastrointestinal cancers can affect any part of the digestive tract and globally account for 26% of all cancers and 35% of cancer-related mortality. Among these, pancreatic cancer stands out with a mortality rate of over 90%, making it the deadliest cancer. Despite decades of research into innovative treatment options, gastrointestinal cancers are on the rise, posing a significant challenge in oncology. Consequently, there is an urgent need for new treatments and diagnostic methods.Targeted therapeutics, including nanotherapeutics, have recently emerged as promising solutions for the treatment and imaging of gastrointestinal cancer cells. Recognized for their targeted drug delivery, prolonged drug release, and rapid cell internalization, these therapies offer several advantages, including the reduction of systemic toxicity associated with chemotherapeutics and precision targeting of specific cell types.Currently, while cancer nanotherapeutics have progressed substantially in clinical trials for various types of cancers, there is much potential to broaden their impact across different gastrointestinal cancers. Initial promising results from nanodelivery of chemotherapeutics in animal models have shown potential to improve prognoses for gastrointestinal cancer patients more broadly, beyond pancreatic cancer.This Research Topic proposes to explore innovative targeted therapeutic approaches, including but not limited to nanotherapeutics, for gastrointestinal cancers such as pancreatic, colorectal, gastric, and others. We aim to investigate novel treatments, testing new drugs, or novel combinations of drugs with commonly used therapeutics that target key pathways and cell types involved in these cancers.