Current State of Targeted Therapy in Gastrointestinal Cancers

Dear Colleagues,

The treatment of advanced gastrointestinal (GI) cancers has become increasingly molecularly driven. Molecular profiling for HER2 and PD-L1 status is standard for metastatic gastroesophageal (GEJ) cancers to predict benefits from trastuzumab and trastuzumab–deruxtecan (HER2-targeted therapy) and nivolumab and pembrolizumab (anti-PD-1 therapy), while extended RAS and BRAF testing is standard in metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) to predict benefits from epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-targeted therapies or BRAF inhibitors. Mismatch repair (MMR) or microsatellite instability (MSI) testing is standard for all advanced GI cancers to predict benefits from immunotherapy. Further advanced targeted therapies have been evaluated in GI cancers including Poly (adenosine diphosphate–ribose) polymerases (PARP) inhibition in pancreatic cancer; fibroblast growth factor receptor 2b (FGFR2b) and claudin-18 isoform 2 (CLDN18.2) inhibition in gastric cancer; neurotrophic tropomyosin receptor kinases (NTRK) inhibition in GI cancers; and isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) and fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) inhibition in biliary tract cancer.

Therefore, targeted therapies in GI malignancies constitute an integral component of the treatment paradigm in these advanced cancers and have widely established the need for standard molecular profiling to identify candidates.

This Special Issue aims to allow authors to focus on targeted therapy in GI cancer treatment, describe the discoveries of their research, and deliver novel insights. Original research articles and reviews are welcome for this Special Issue.

Dr. Carmelo Laface
Dr. Angela Dalia Ricci
Guest Editors

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• gastrointestinal cancers
• immunotherapy
• targeted therapy
• molecular mechanisms
• microsatellite instability