Advances in Non-Invasive Screening Methods for Gastrointestinal Cancers: How Continued Innovation Has Revolutionized Early Cancer Detection

Abstract

Early detection is important in reducing mortality from gastrointestinal (GI) cancers, but conventional screening methods can be invasive and expensive. Non-invasive diagnostic approaches hold promise for more efficient surveillance. For gastric cancer, oral rinse tests assessing the oral microbiome and circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) analysis have shown improved specificity, while stool-based assays and FDA-approved blood-based tests such as Shield are revolutionizing colorectal cancer screening. Pancreatic cancer detection benefits from liquid biopsy technologies targeting KRAS mutations, exosomal markers, and VOC breath analysis. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) surveillance is evolving with ctDNA methylation panels plus AI-driven radiological assessments. These innovations address long-standing challenges in early GI cancer diagnosis by increasing sensitivity and patient comfort. This review highlights the most recent advances in non-invasive GI cancer screening, offering a hopeful future for early detection and paving the way for personalized interventions