Role of the brain-gut axis in gastrointestinal cancer.

Several studies have largely focused on the significant role of the nervous and immune systems in the process of tumorigenesis, including tumor growth, proliferation, apoptosis, and metastasis. The brain-gut-axis is a new paradigm in neuroscience, which describes the biochemical signaling between the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and the central nervous system. This axis may play a critical role in the tumorigenesis and development of GI cancers.