Qi JH, Huang SL, Jin SZ. Novel milestones for early esophageal carcinoma: From bench to bed. World J Gastrointest Oncol 2024; 16(4): 1104-1118 [PMID: 38660637 DOI: 10.4251/wjgo.v16.i4.1104]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Shi-Zhu Jin, MD, PhD, Chief Physician, Professor, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, No. 246 XueFu Road, Nangang District, Harbin 150086, Heilongjiang Province, China. drshizhujin@hrbmu.edu.cn
Research Domain of This Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Article-Type of This Article
Review
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Gastrointest Oncol. Apr 15, 2024; 16(4): 1104-1118 Published online Apr 15, 2024. doi: 10.4251/wjgo.v16.i4.1104
Novel milestones for early esophageal carcinoma: From bench to bed
Ji-Han Qi, Shi-Ling Huang, Shi-Zhu Jin
Ji-Han Qi, Shi-Ling Huang, Shi-Zhu Jin, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150086, Heilongjiang Province, China
Co-first authors: Ji-Han Qi and Shi-Ling Huang.
Author contributions: Qi JH and Huang SL contributed equally to this work; Qi JH and Huang SL constructed, conceptualized, and wrote the first draft of the paper; Jin SZ provided valuable advice and guidance while writing the review; and all authors have read and approve the final manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors declare no conflicts of interest.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Shi-Zhu Jin, MD, PhD, Chief Physician, Professor, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, No. 246 XueFu Road, Nangang District, Harbin 150086, Heilongjiang Province, China. drshizhujin@hrbmu.edu.cn
Received: December 15, 2023 Peer-review started: December 15, 2023 First decision: January 15, 2024 Revised: January 28, 2024 Accepted: February 26, 2024 Article in press: February 26, 2024 Published online: April 15, 2024
Abstract
Esophageal cancer (EC) is the seventh most common cancer worldwide, and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) accounts for the majority of cases of EC. To effectively diagnose and treat ESCC and improve patient prognosis, timely diagnosis in the initial phase of the illness is necessary. This article offers a detailed summary of the latest advancements and emerging technologies in the timely identification of ECs. Molecular biology and epigenetics approaches involve the use of molecular mechanisms combined with fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), high-throughput sequencing technology (next-generation sequencing), and digital PCR technology to study endogenous or exogenous biomolecular changes in the human body and provide a decision-making basis for the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of diseases. The investigation of the microbiome is a swiftly progressing area in human cancer research, and microorganisms with complex functions are potential components of the tumor microenvironment. The intratumoral microbiota was also found to be connected to tumor progression. The application of endoscopy as a crucial technique for the early identification of ESCC has been essential, and with ongoing advancements in technology, endoscopy has continuously improved. With the advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, the utilization of AI in the detection of gastrointestinal tumors has become increasingly prevalent. The implementation of AI can effectively resolve the discrepancies among observers, improve the detection rate, assist in predicting the depth of invasion and differentiation status, guide the pericancerous margins, and aid in a more accurate diagnosis of ESCC.
Core Tip: The incidence of esophageal cancer is high worldwide, with and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is the predominant histological subtype. With in-depth research and the development of technology, various methods have been employed to promptly identify early-stage ESCC. This review will help to elucidate new advances and applications of diagnostic methods for early ESCC, including molecular biology, epigenetics, microbiology, endoscopy, and artificial intelligence approaches.
