ReviewTranslational gastroenterology and hepatology2026
Advancing gastrointestinal cancer diagnosis and treatment: a narrative review of circulating tumor DNA in gastrointestinal malignancies.
Review in Translational gastroenterology and hepatology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Plant-Derived Foods and Medicines as Modulators of the Gut Microbiome: Molecular Interactions and Implications for Disease and Therapy.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background and Objective: Gastrointestinal (GI) cancers represent a substantial global health burden due to their high morbidity and mortality rates. These cancers are often diagnosed at advanced stages, leading to poor prognosis and limited treatment options. Early detection and personalized treatment strategies are critical to improving outcomes, yet traditional diagnostic methods, such as tissue biopsies and imaging, often fall short in sensitivity, specificity and the ability to capture tumor heterogeneity. Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), which comprises small fragments of tumor-derived DNA shed into the bloodstream, has emerged as a transformative tool in the diagnosis and management of GI cancers. This review aims to summarize the clinical and utility of ctDNA in GI cancers and highlight areas for future research. Methods: This narrative review integrates findings from recent studies evaluating ctDNA in GI malignancies. In doing so, we searched PubMed/MEDLINE, Google Scholar, ClinicalTrials.gov, and the Cochrane Library between October 1, 2024 and August 5, 2025. Eligible studies were restricted to English-language articles without geographic limitations to the USA. Key Content and Findings: ctDNA enables non-invasive, real-time monitoring of tumor burden, treatment response, and resistance mechanisms, making it a valuable tool for precision oncology. Evidence supports its use across colorectal, pancreatic, hepatobiliary, and esophageal cancers, with the most established role in colorectal cancer. While ctDNA offers potential to improve patient outcomes, challenges remain, including technical limitations, variability in detection methods, and issues related to cost and standardization. Conclusions: ctDNA is a promising biomarker in GI oncology, with potential to advance early detection, treatment monitoring, and prognostication. A clearer understanding of existing limitations will be critical to unlocking its full potential and establishing ctDNA as a reliable tool in the management of GI cancers.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.