Biostatistics and epidemiology models in gastrointestinal cancers

Gastrointestinal (GI) cancers are one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers worldwide, particularly a major problem in Asian countries. Researchers believe that statistical and epidemiological methods can lead us to know well about the GI cancers pattern and then to develop improved treatment. The other thing is that epidemiology and biostatistics did undergo a rapid development in the past years. They are playing an important role in the application of statistical methods, and will continue in the future biomedical researches (1).

Therefore, the journal Translational Gastrointestinal Cancer(TGC) has published a focus issue dedicated to “Biostatistics and epidemiology models in GI cancers”. This issue is organized by Dr. Mohamad Amin Pourhoseingholi, from the Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. All the authors are from Iran in this field, trying to reveal new studies of biostatistics and epidemiology models and their application in GI cancers. The discussion involves that using Bayesian model to analyze death statistics, cure rate model to analyze the stomach cancer survival, and geographical model to map GI cancer mortality. The articles also discuss the competing risks survival analysis, burden of colorectal cancer, individual differences in patients with various histories, application of computer technology for managing and surveying, economic burden of GI cancers.

TGC (Transl Gastrointest Cancer; Print ISSN 2224-476X; Online ISSN 2224-4778; http://www.amepc.org/tgc), quarterly publishes articles that describe new findings in the field of translational research in GI cancers, and provides current and practical information on diagnosis, prevention and clinical investigations of GI cancers.

We believe this issue will be a good reference in the future biomedical research in GI cancers. The outline of this issue is as follows:

Editorial

• Statistical and epidemiologic models in gastrointestinal cancers analysis
  Mohamad Amin Pourhoseingholi

• Prognostic value of tumor-infiltrating immune cells in patients with colorectal cancer
  Ehsan Nazemalhosseini-Mojarad, Pedram Azimzadeh, Peter J.K. Kuppen

Original Article

• Bayesian adjustment for misclassification in cancer registry data
  Mohamad Amin Pourhoseingholi

• Cure models in analyzing long-term survivors
  Mitra Rahimzadeh, Behrooz Kavehie, Mohammad Reza Zali

• State of art the competing risks survival analysis for cancer patients
  Mohammad Asghari Jafarabadi, Mohammad Amin Pourhosseingholi, Ebrahim Hajizadeh, Seyed Reza Fatemi

• Mapping gastrointestinal cancer mortality in Kurdistan province
  Jamshid Yazdani-charati, Faride Khosravi, Masood Moradi, Azar Kabirzade

• Screening of colorectal diseases among individuals without family history in a private hospital, Tehran, Iran from 2011 to 2013
  Shahrokh Iravani, Ehsan Nazemalhosseini-Mojarad, Seyed Mohammad Hossein Kashfi, Pedram Azimzadeh

Review Article

• Epidemiology and burden of colorectal cancer in Asia-Pacific region: what shall we do now?
  Mohamad Amin Pourhoseingholi

• Simulation models of gastrointestinal cancers: strategic approach to predicting and decision making
  Elham Maserat, Reza Safdari, Marjan Ghazisaeidi, Elahe Maserat, Sima Ghezelbash

• Economic burden of gastrointestinal cancer: estimation and importance
  Sara Ashtari, Mohsen Vahedi

Acknowledgements

Disclosure: The author declares no conflict of interest.

References

1. Pourhoseingholi MA. Statistical and epidemiologic models in gastrointestinal cancers analysis. Transl Gastrointest Cancer 2014;3:139-40.