Epigenetics and field cancerization as the caveats of carcinogenesis and recurrence of gastrointestinal malignancies: a systematic review and meta-analysis protocol

Abstract Gastrointestinal malignancies constitute the most common neoplasms with increasing prevalence worldwide, which portend a dismal morbidity and higher mortality rate. Epigenetic phenotypes and field cancerization impute a cutting edge for precursor of several gastrointestinal malignancies; this genetic aberration has been implicated in tumorigenesis and recurrence of gastrointestinal malignancies. This systematic review aims at assessing the effect of epigenetics and field cancerization on carcinogenesis and recurrence of gastrointestinal malignancies. This systematic review and meta-analysis will administer the provisions of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis 2020 guideline, and the review protocol has been registered at PROSPERO. The literature search will be executed through several electronic databases including EMBASE, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane, Global Index Medicus, Semantic Scholar and Google Scholar. All original research articles reporting on the effect of epigenetic signatures, epigenetics and field cancerization on the carcinogenesis and recurrence of gastrointestinal cancers in adults will be included. Only articles with Newcastle–Ottawa Scale score above 4 and low risk of bias based on D1–D5 for randomized controlled trials will be included for a meta-analysis. There is no involvement of human subject participation in this review, thus giving no effect to ethical clearance approval. The evidence report of this review will be disseminated on scientific conferences and will be published to a reputable journal of gastroenterology oncology. This review has been registered at PROSPERO registry ID CRD 42023391339.