The past decade has witnessed an increasing utility and availability of molecular tests and molecular imaging for diagnostic, prognostic, and predictive purposes in oncology. The sheer number of available tests and emergence of new technology-like next generation sequencing can be overwhelming for practicing pathologists/physicians. Understanding the utility and limitations of these molecular tests and molecular imaging has become critical to enable physicians to maximize the utility of these tests, minimize costs by ordering appropriate tests, and also educate patients on test utility and limitations. One area where there is increasing utility for molecular studies is in gastrointestinal/pancreatobiliary tumors.

This special issue will focus on the applications of molecular tests and molecular imaging in selected gastrointestinal/pancreatobiliary tumors with emphasis on methodology, interpretation, interpretive pitfalls, test limitations, clinical utility, and quality. Articles addressing emerging technologies as well as those on more traditional readily accessible methods are welcome.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

• Carcinomas:
  • Overview of common molecular pathways gastrointestinal/pancreatobiliary cancers
  • The utility of molecular studies in targeted therapy of gastrointestinal/pancreatobiliary cancers
  • Mismatch repair protein/microsatellite instability studies in colorectal carcinomas
  • Molecular tests in other selected hereditary cancer syndromes
• Spindle cell tumors:
  • Overview of gastrointestinal spindle cell neoplasms
  • The utility of molecular tests in the diagnosis and prognosis of gastrointestinal spindle cell neoplasms
  • Therapeutic utility of molecular tests/biomarkers in selected spindle cell tumors
• Gastrointestinal lymphomas:
  • Overview of gastrointestinal lymphomas
  • The utility of molecular studies in the diagnosis of gastrointestinal lymphoproliferative disorders
  • The prognostic and therapeutic utility of molecular studies in gastrointestinal lymphomas
• Overview of the utility of molecular imaging in gastrointestinal/pancreatobiliary cancers:
  • Correlation of pathway-directed molecular imaging and genomic science
  • Application of molecular image-guided personalized therapy