Gastrointestinal Tumors: Prevention, Screening and Predictive Analytics

A special issue of Current Oncology (ISSN 1718-7729). This special issue belongs to the section "Gastrointestinal Oncology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 June 2026 | Viewed by 119

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Biomedical Informatics, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USA
Interests: cancer control; precision medicine; drug-drug interactions; dynamic treatment regimes; casual inference; comparative effectiveness research; design and analysis of clinical trials
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Guest Editor
Division of Cancer Control and Prevention, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine and Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
Interests: breast cancer screening; cervical cancer screening; colorectal cancer screening; health disparities; cancer prevention; cancer survivorship; rural disparities; implementation science; HPV vaccination; behavioral intervention research
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Guest Editor
Rutgers–Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
Interests: gastroenterology; liver disease
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Gastrointestinal (GI) tumors remain one of the leading causes of cancer morbidity and mortality worldwide. Progress in prevention, screening, and predictive analytics is crucial for shifting diagnosis to an earlier stage, tailoring risk, and reducing disparities.

This Special Issue invites original research articles and reviews that advance the prevention, risk assessment, or early detection of GI and hepatobiliary malignancies. We welcome studies on population and genetic risk models, biomarkers (including blood- and stool-based assays, ctDNA/methylation signatures, proteomics, and the microbiome), imaging and radiomics approaches for early detection, comparative effectiveness of screening strategies and pathways, chemoprevention strategies, agents, and trials, and AI/ML models integrating clinical, laboratory, endoscopic, and imaging data. Submissions emphasizing methodological rigor, transparent reporting, calibration, external validation/transportability, decision-analytic evaluation, and implementation science (including uptake, adherence, and equity) are particularly encouraged. Additionally, analyses of feasibility and cost-effectiveness in diverse health systems are also encouraged. To maintain a focus on early detection and risk, submissions centered primarily on therapeutic interventions or survivorship without a clear prevention, screening, or prediction component are outside the scope of this Special Issue.

We look forward to contributions that can be translated into practical applications and policies to meaningfully improve outcomes across the GI cancer control continuum.

You may choose our Joint Special Issue in Cancers.

Dr. Mohamed I. Elsaid
Prof. Dr. Electra D. Paskett
Prof. Dr. Vinod Rustgi
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • gastrointestinal and hepatobiliary cancers
  • prevention and screening
  • chemoprevention
  • risk stratification
  • biomarkers and liquid biopsy (ctDNA)
  • imaging and radiomics
  • predictive analytics and machine learning
  • causal inference
  • population-based studies
  • implementation science and health equity

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

17 pages, 637 KB  
Article
Age and Colorectal Cancer Outcomes: A Comparative Analysis Between Patients Younger and Older than 70 Years
by Oswaldo Moraes Filho, Bruno Augusto Alves Martins, André Araújo de Medeiros Silva, Romulo Medeiros de Almeida, Antonio Carlos Nobrega dos Santos, Camila Oliveira Barbosa, Flávia Berford Leão dos Santos Gonçalves de Oliveira, Tuane Colles, Wilmar Junio Pereira Araújo and João Batista de Sousa
Curr. Oncol. 2026, 33(2), 100; https://doi.org/10.3390/curroncol33020100 - 4 Feb 2026
Abstract
Colorectal cancer is predominantly a disease of older adults, yet age-related treatment decisions remain controversial. While chronological age is often used as a criterion for surgical eligibility, it remains unclear whether age alone is an independent predictor of surgical and oncological outcomes. This [...] Read more.
Colorectal cancer is predominantly a disease of older adults, yet age-related treatment decisions remain controversial. While chronological age is often used as a criterion for surgical eligibility, it remains unclear whether age alone is an independent predictor of surgical and oncological outcomes. This study evaluated whether age is a significant determinant of outcomes in colorectal cancer patients undergoing surgical resection. This retrospective comparative study analyzed 262 patients (193 younger than 70 years, 69 aged ≥ 70 years) diagnosed with colorectal cancer stages I–IV between 2014 and 2021 at a tertiary single center. Survival analysis was conducted using Kaplan–Meier method and Cox proportional hazards regression. Elderly patients had higher ASA classification (p = 0.0270), higher hypertension prevalence (p < 0.0001), higher ICU admission rates (50.7% vs. 21.2%, p < 0.0001), and longer hospital stays (12.6 vs. 7.5 days, p = 0.0016). However, elderly patients presented with earlier-stage disease (Stage I + II: 64.2% vs. 46.1%, p = 0.0108). After adjustment for confounding factors, age did not significantly impact overall survival (HR = 1.33; 95%CI: 0.54–3.26; p = 0.5375) or disease-free survival (HR = 1.61; 95%CI: 0.79–3.29; p = 0.1939). Despite differences in clinical presentation and pathological findings, age itself was not an independent predictor of survival outcomes. These findings suggest that treatment decisions in elderly colorectal cancer patients should be informed by individual patient physiology and disease stage rather than chronological age alone. Full article
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