Immune cell signatures: Pioneering early detection in gastrointestinal cancer

Gastrointestinal (GI) cancers — including colorectal, gastric, esophageal, hepatocellular, pancreatic, and biliary tract cancers — remain among the most lethal malignancies worldwide, largely due to late diagnosis, intrinsic therapeutic resistance, and profound immune dysfunction. Increasing evidence indicates that tumor progression is driven not only by local tumor–immune cell interactions within the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME), but also by systemic immune alterations occurring in distant compartments such as the bone marrow, spleen, and circulating immune cells, collectively referred to as the tumor immune macroenvironment (TIMaE). These interconnected immune niches dynamically shape tumor evolution, immune escape, and treatment response, yet their early involvement in GI tumorigenesis remains poorly understood.This Research Topic aims to provide an integrated overview of the bidirectional crosstalk between the tumor immune microenvironment and the tumor immune macroenvironment during pancreatic cancer initiation, progression, and therapy resistance. By focusing on both local and systemic immune remodeling, the Research Topic seeks to elucidate how immune dysfunction arises early, sustains tumor-promoting inflammation, and limits effective anti-tumor immunity.Particular emphasis will be placed on precancerous lesions, early-stage disease, and dynamic immune changes detectable through liquid biopsies. A key objective is to identify immune-based biomarkers and molecular pathways that may enable earlier diagnosis, patient stratification, and the development of novel immunomodulatory strategies. Ultimately, this collection aims to bridge basic immunology and translational research to improve clinical outcomes in pancreatic cancer.This Research Topic welcomes original research articles, reviews, mini-reviews, perspectives, and clinical studies addressing immune mechanisms in pancreatic cancer. Relevant themes include, but are not limited to: TIME–TIMaE interactions, systemic immune remodeling, immune suppression and tolerance, myeloid and lymphoid cell dynamics, liquid biopsy immune biomarkers, and immunotherapy resistance. Studies integrating preclinical models, patient-derived samples, and multi-omics or spatial approaches are particularly encouraged.Please note that manuscripts consisting solely of bioinformatics or computational analysis of public genomic or transcriptomic databases which are not accompanied by robust and relevant validation (clinical cohort or biological validation in vitro or in vivo) are out of scope for this Research Topic. Topic editors: Salem Chouaib, Maria Serena Roca, Giulia Piaggio Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/78108/immune-cell-signatures-pioneering-early-detection-in-gastrointestinal-cancer