Gastrointestinal Neoplasia: Current Perspectives and Emerging Frontiers

Gastrointestinal (GI) neoplasias present a substantial challenge to global public health, with recent data demonstrating that esophageal, gastric, colorectal, and pancreatic malignancies account for more than 3.1 million new and 2.1 million fatal cases per year. In the United States, 2016 estimates indicate that incident cancers of the digestive system (304,930) will outnumber all other sites, including the genital system (297,530), respiratory system (243,820), and breast (249,260). Encouragingly, favorable trends have been observed with respect to both incidence and mortality rates for many site-specific GI malignancies, although pancreas and small intestine cancers represent conspicuous exceptions. To accelerate further progress, greater awareness and understanding are needed in the areas of molecular biology, epidemiology, early detection, diagnostic evaluation, clinical management, and survivorship, among others. In this issue of Gastroenterology Clinics of North America , these topics are reviewed by distinguished authors with expertise in neoplasia of the upper and lower GI tract, including GI stromal tumors and neuroendocrine tumors. State-of-the-science reviews for heritable syndromes, screening innovations, and role of the microbiome are also provided by leading authorities in these fields. Of note, hepatobiliary cancers are not addressed in this issue, to permit more thorough coverage of key concepts in luminal carcinogenesis.

We are indebted to the experts who so graciously contributed their time and talents to this important issue. By engaging a multidisciplinary, international team of collaborators, we strove to create an informative resource with broad application and appeal. We appreciate your interest in the subject of GI neoplasia and hope that the content herein will be useful in your practice, research, and other professional endeavors.

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