Clinical Efficacy of Drug Therapy in Gastrointestinal Cancers

A special issue of Cancers (ISSN 2072-6694). This special issue belongs to the section "Clinical Research of Cancer".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2025 | Viewed by 665

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
1. F.I.R.M.O. Italian Foundation for the Research on Bone Diseases, 50141 Florence, Italy
2. Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
Interests: surgical oncology; cancer surgery; laparoscopic surgery; colorectal surgery; gastrointestinal diseases

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Guest Editor
Department of Health Sciences, Universita degli Studi di Firenze, Florence, Italy
Interests: gastrointestinal cancers; tumor drug resistance; biomarkers; pharmacogenetics; pharmacogenomics; translational studies
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Among gastrointestinal cancers, colorectal cancer and gastric cancer are the most frequent and deadly tumors.

Recently, the use of adjuvant, neoadjuvant, and induction anticancer drug therapies, including not only classical chemotherapeutic agents but also innovative targeted therapeutics and various types of immunotherapy, has greatly improved the treatment strategies for these neoplasms in the locally advanced stages at risk of recurrence and also in the case of primary tumors with unresectable synchronous (liver or lung) metastases.

Clinical outcomes of up-to-date surgery and radiotherapy approaches have been complemented with anticancer drug therapy in a multidisciplinary contest.

By interfering with tumor signaling pathways, targeted therapies have the capability to suppress the growth and systemic spread of cancer cells.

Immunotherapies may also enhance immune surveillance by stimulating immune cells in the tumor microenvironment. Classical chemotherapeutic agents still represent the backbone of several drug combination therapies for all stages of these neoplasms.

Despite these advances, cancer drug resistance remains a major hurdle to a complete success, and a fair number of patients continue to experience disease recurrence and ultimately will die.

Thus, continuous efforts in the improvement of multidisciplinary treatments and in the discovery and development of innovative drugs based on high-quality clinical trials targeted to specific molecular determinants are still needed.

Prof. Dr. Francesco Tonelli
Prof. Dr. Enrico Mini
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • classical chemotherapy
  • targeted therapeutics
  • immunotherapy
  • adjuvant therapy
  • neoadjuvant therapy
  • induction therapy
  • multidisciplinary treatments
  • gastric cancer
  • colorectal cancer

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

12 pages, 796 KB  
Article
Angiogenetic Factors in Hepatocellular Carcinoma During Transarterial Chemoembolization: A Pilot Study
by Joško Osredkar, Špela Koršič, Uršula Prosenc Zmrzljak, Hana Trček and Peter Popović
Cancers 2025, 17(16), 2642; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers17162642 - 13 Aug 2025
Viewed by 354
Abstract
Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary liver cancer and remains a significant global health challenge. Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is the treatment of choice for intermediate-stage HCC patients. While TACE induces localized cytotoxic and ischemic tumor necrosis, the resultant hypoxia [...] Read more.
Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary liver cancer and remains a significant global health challenge. Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is the treatment of choice for intermediate-stage HCC patients. While TACE induces localized cytotoxic and ischemic tumor necrosis, the resultant hypoxia paradoxically activates pro-angiogenic signaling pathways, which may promote tumor revascularization and recurrence. This study aimed to evaluate the plasma levels of angiogenetic factors pre- and post-TACE to assess their dynamic changes and potential clinical implications. Methods: Twenty-five intermediate-stage HCC patients were included in this monocentric prospective study. Peripheral blood samples were collected at baseline (pre-TACE), 24 h, 3 days, and 1 month post-TACE. Angiogenic factor levels were analyzed using a multiplex bead-based assay. Results: Angiopoietin-2 levels were significantly elevated three days post-TACE, followed by a gradual decline after one month. A similar pattern was observed for hepatocyte growth factor, with a marked increase at 24 h post-TACE and subsequent normalization. Endothelin-1 also exhibited a temporary increase, although it was only detected in four patients. Fibroblast growth factors (1 and 2) and vascular endothelial growth factor A were detected in a limited number of patients, which may indicate low systemic release or the need for a more sensitive detection method. Conclusions: These findings suggest that TACE induces a transient increase in angiogenic factors, likely due to tumor ischemia, tissue injury, or microenvironmental responses. Future studies should explore more sensitive detection methods and evaluate whether these factors could serve as prognostic biomarkers or therapeutic targets in HCC treatment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Clinical Efficacy of Drug Therapy in Gastrointestinal Cancers)
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