Published online Jul 28, 2015. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v21.i28.8473
Peer-review started: January 29, 2015
First decision: March 10, 2015
Revised: March 22, 2015
Accepted: May 2, 2015
Article in press: May 4, 2015
Published online: July 28, 2015
Processing time: 182 Days and 11.2 Hours
Theranostics are one of the practical aspects of personalized medicine. This concept was designed to describe a material combining diagnosis, treatment and follow up of a disease. It evolved and included molecular targeting and nanotechnologies that incorporate both diagnosis and therapeutics. In this editorial, we are presenting briefly the concept and evolution of theranostics, highlighting many applications of theranostics in daily practice and discussing future perspectives and aspects of this model in gastro-intestincal cancers.
Core tip: This editorial presents briefly the concept and evolution of theranostics. It describes the actual use of this treatment modality in gastrointestinal (GI) cancer going from the success story of theranostics in pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors to the promising results in gastric and colon cancer. Future perspectives of theranostics in GI cancers in nanotechnology and biomarkers fields are also reported in the end of this editorial.