Extensive research efforts have been focused on changing cancer treatment paradigm from one-size-fits-all population medicine toward precision approach at personalized levels. Precision medicine has dramatically improved the management of several malignancies such as melanoma, lung cancer, and breast cancer. Despite gastrointestinal and hepatopancreatic biliary cancers being among the most common and most lethal malignancies, advancements in novel precision approaches in GI/HPB cancers have not followed a similar pace. Although precision therapy, particularly in colorectal cancer, has shown some promises in improving patients’ survival, it has a very limited role in the management of patients with GI cancers. Rapidly growing omic technologies have expanded and expedited research efforts to identify molecular targets and design individualized treatment approaches in GI cancers. Nonetheless, these efforts have shown inconsistent results and whether experimental approaches can be translated into clinical practice is still unclear. This also highlights the importance of ongoing research efforts in the field.

There is a plethora of research occurring in this field and the aim of this special issue is to disseminate recent advancements in precision therapy of gastrointestinal cancers. We invite investigators to contribute original research studies and review articles that will stimulate continuing efforts to advance personalized approach and targeted therapy for gastrointestinal and hepatopancreaticobiliary malignancies. We encourage submitting basic, translational, and clinical studies that focus on identifying and validating therapeutic molecular targets and unraveling involved molecular mechanisms. We especially welcome studies focused on omic profiling of GI/HPB cancers with implications in the precision approach in the management of these tumors.

Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:

• Therapeutic biomarkers with application in targeted therapy for GI/HPB malignancies
• Biomarkers and genetic signatures associated with drug sensitivity/resistance
• Advancements in immunologic targeting of GI/HPB malignancies
• Genomic and epigenomic heterogeneity of GI/HPB malignancies
• Improving preclinical models for precision medicine in GI malignancies
• Challenges with precision medicine in GI/HPB malignancies
• Omic advancements in prevention of GI/HPB cancers