Fernández-Aceñero MJ. Ongoing need for biomarkers to predict disease activity in inflammatory bowel disease. World J Gastroenterol 2026; 32(34): 117754 [DOI: 10.3748/wjg.117754]
Corresponding Author of This Article
M Jesús Fernández-Aceñero, Full Professor, Department of Surgical Pathology, Health Research Institute of the Hospital Clínico San Carlos, Hospital Clínico San Carlos, Professor Martín Lagos Street, Madrid 28040, Spain. mgg10167@gmail.com
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Gastroenterology & Hepatology
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editorial
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Fernández-Aceñero MJ. Ongoing need for biomarkers to predict disease activity in inflammatory bowel disease. World J Gastroenterol 2026; 32(34): 117754 [DOI: 10.3748/wjg.117754]
World J Gastroenterol. Sep 14, 2026; 32(34): 117754 Published online Sep 14, 2026. doi: 10.3748/wjg.117754
Ongoing need for biomarkers to predict disease activity in inflammatory bowel disease
M Jesús Fernández-Aceñero
M Jesús Fernández-Aceñero, Department of Surgical Pathology, Health Research Institute of the Hospital Clínico San Carlos, Hospital Clínico San Carlos, Madrid 28040, Spain
Author contributions: Fernández-Aceñero MJ designed, reviewed, and wrote the manuscript.
AI contribution statement: No AI tools were used in the preparation of this manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The author reports no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Corresponding author: M Jesús Fernández-Aceñero, Full Professor, Department of Surgical Pathology, Health Research Institute of the Hospital Clínico San Carlos, Hospital Clínico San Carlos, Professor Martín Lagos Street, Madrid 28040, Spain. mgg10167@gmail.com
Received: December 15, 2025 Revised: June 24, 2026 Accepted: July 13, 2026 Published online: September 14, 2026 Processing time: 247 Days and 8.1 Hours
Abstract
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic disease that severely affects patients’ quality of life and is associated with an increased risk of colorectal carcinoma. The advent of new therapies has improved the management of patients with IBD; however, there remains a substantial need to identify factors that can predict disease relapse and guide therapy. For decades, the follow-up of patients with IBD has relied on regular endoscopist surveillance depending on clinical symptoms, despite the well-known discrepancy among clinical, endoscopic, and histopathological findings. Although fecal calprotectin has emerged as a useful and reliable marker of disease activity, there remains a considerable need to identify more accurate and prognostic biomarkers. In this editorial, we comment on the article by Chen et al published in the recent issue of the World Journal of Gastroenterology and review recent advances in the diagnosis and management of IBD.
Core Tip: Inflammatory bowel disease is a severe, relapsing inflammatory disease, and early detection and treatment can help improve patient outcomes. Although endoscopic and histopathological scores remain the most reliable markers for predicting disease relapse, they are invasive, and there is a clear need to identify biomarkers that enable a noninvasive and practical approach to disease diagnosis and treatment. Although fecal calprotectin has emerged as the most useful biomarker, there remains a substantial need to improve its accuracy. Novel technologies, including the various omics approaches and several emerging biomarkers, promise to advance the diagnosis and management of inflammatory bowel disease in the near future, further supported by the development of artificial intelligence-based strategies.
