Editorial
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2025. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastrointest Oncol. Mar 15, 2025; 17(3): 101752
Published online Mar 15, 2025. doi: 10.4251/wjgo.v17.i3.101752
Bridging the gap: The role of technological advances in shaping gastrointestinal oncological outcomes
Nuno J G Rama, Inês Sousa
Nuno J G Rama, Division of Colorectal Surgical, Leiria Hospital Centre, Leiria 2410-021, Portugal
Inês Sousa, Department of Surgical, Leiria Hospital Centre, Leiria 2410-021, Portugal
Co-first authors: Nuno J G Rama and Inês Sousa.
Author contributions: Rama NJG and Sousa I contributed to this paper; Rama NJG designed the overall concept, retrieved concerned literature and wrote the manuscript; Sousa I contributed to the writing of the manuscript and revised it.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflict 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: Nuno J G Rama, PhD, Associate Professor, Division of Colorectal Surgical, Leiria Hospital Centre, Rua das Olhalvas, Leiria 2410-021, Portugal. ramanuno@gmail.com
Received: September 25, 2024
Revised: November 13, 2024
Accepted: December 16, 2024
Published online: March 15, 2025
Processing time: 142 Days and 3.3 Hours
Abstract

Gastrointestinal (GI) cancers are highly prevalent and considered a major global health challenge. Their approach has undergone a remarkable transformation over the past years due to the development of new technologies that enabled better outcomes regarding their diagnosis and management. These include artificial intelligence, robotics, next-generation sequencing and personalized medicine. Nonetheless, the integration of these advances into everyday clinical practice remains complex and challenging as we are still trying to figure out if these innovations tangibly improve oncological outcomes or if the current state of art should remain as the gold standard for the treatment of these patients. Additionally, there are also some issues regarding ethical subjects, data privacy, finances and governance. Precision surgery concept has evolved considerably over the past decades, especially for oncological patients. It aims to customize medical treatments and to operate on those patients who most likely will benefit from a specific surgical procedure. In the future, to improve GI oncological outcomes, a delicate balance between technological advances adoption and evidence-based care should be chased. As we move forward, the question will be to harness the power of innovation while keeping up the highest standards of patient care.

Keywords: Technology; Innovation; Gastrointestinal oncology; Outcomes; Artificial intelligence; Precision surgery

Core Tip: This editorial provides a comprehensive overview of the impact of technological advances vs current state-of-the-art practices in gastrointestinal oncology, highlighting the usefulness of combining new technologies with evidence-based clinical practices to improve patient outcomes.