Molekularpathologie gastrointestinaler Tumoren

Gastrointestinal tumors are among the most common types of cancer worldwide, with significant morbidity and mortality. A profound molecular understanding of these tumors is essential for the development and application of targeted therapies.

This work aims to describe the molecular characteristics of the most common gastrointestinal tumors and to evaluate their relevance for clinical practice, especially for molecular diagnostics and resulting therapeutic decisions.

The significance of molecular subtypes of gastrointestinal adenocarcinomas for diagnostics and treatment was analyzed based on current guidelines and studies.

Among gastrointestinal adenocarcinomas, five molecular subtypes have been identified (Epstein-Barr virus-associated, microsatellite instability, hypermutated with single-nucleotide variants, chromosomal instability, and genomically stable), from which therapeutically relevant alterations can be derived. These findings have led to the development of new diagnostic tests and targeted drugs that enable individualized treatment.

In the case of necessary systemic therapy, adenocarcinomas of the esophagogastrointestinal system must be analyzed today with regard to personalized treatment options and individual prognosis estimation. These analyses are primarily performed on tumor tissue using immunohistochemistry and molecular techniques, and require close collaboration between diagnostic pathology and clinical oncology. Advances in the molecular understanding of these tumors are paving the way for new biomarkers and therapeutic approaches.