Why we found the new journal Annals of Esophagus (AOE)

Worldwide, Feeding is the most basic issue of human being all over the centuries. Esophagus is the route of food from the mouth to the stomach. As a populous country, China contains the largest number of patients with esophageal cancer and gastroesophageal reflux disease throughout the world. However, still there is much to be studied and discussed in etiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, therapeutic strategies, techniques, and outcomes of these esophageal diseases.

Esophageal cancer is the eighth most common cancer and the sixth most common cause of cancer related deaths worldwide (1). Squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma are the two predominant histological subtypes with varying geographical and racial distribution. Globally, squamous cell carcinoma remains the most common histological type. The highest incidence of esophageal cancer is seen along two geographical belts, one from north central China through the central Asian republics to northern Iran, and the other from eastern to southern Africa (2,3).

Despite the high incidence and mortality, there are various uncertainties and debates on the way to achieve the optimal outcomes for the patients in this specific field of diseases. Therefore, we have taken a brave decision to found a brand-new journal Annals of Esophagus (AOE). By founding this new journal, we are looking forward to build up a platform for academic and technological exchange and study, to share the valuable experiences and achievements, to explore the unknown and controversial issues on the diseases that are most closely related to our livings.

In addition to esophageal cancers, other esophageal diseases including Barrett’s esophagus, gastroesophageal reflux disease, achalasia of the cardia, hiatal hernia, congenital esophageal disease, esophageal diverticulum, esophageal perforation, benign esophageal neoplasms, and other rare esophageal malignancies are in the scope of AOE.

AOE will devote itself to publish the leading-edge discoveries, techniques and opinions in all fields pertaining to esophagus, including etiology and prevention, anatomy, histology and embryology, pathology and pathophysiology, pathogenesis, epidemiology, immunology, molecular genetics and other basic research as well as translational research progress. Certainly, AOE embraces the advances in diagnosis and treatment of esophagus, including surgical treatment, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy and targeted therapies, controversy and exploration of multidisciplinary treatment, and related advances in translational medicine.

With diverse efforts of attracting the top-level international experts and raising stars among doctors and investigators to contribute, timely updating significant findings of research and clinical trials from global institutes, and promoting academic exchanges, research collaboration, technical training and publicity via the platform of the journal, we aspire to build AOE an innovative and comprehensive mainstream journal in the field of esophagus, which features to timely present the hotspots (academic debates), the focus (e.g., esophageal cancer, gastroesophageal reflux disease) and the challenges in the field to global readership.

With the core value “Patients come first” and the joint efforts collaborated with global clinicians and investigators in the field, we will stick to the high standard of AOE publication and aim to make AOE a world-class academic journal with the “first-class quality and influence” in international community. Therefore, we warmly welcome all the peers and colleagues in the field to join this significant endeavor!

Acknowledgments

Funding: None.

Footnote

Provenance and Peer Review: This article was commissioned by the editorial office, Annals of Esophagus. The article did not undergo external peer review.

Conflicts of Interest: The author has completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at http://dx.doi.org/10.21037/aoe.2018.01.01). YL serves as an Editor-in-Chief of Annals of Esophagus. The author has no other conflicts of interest to declare.

Ethical Statement: The author is accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

Open Access Statement: This is an Open Access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), which permits the non-commercial replication and distribution of the article with the strict proviso that no changes or edits are made and the original work is properly cited (including links to both the formal publication through the relevant DOI and the license). See: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.

References

1. Ferlay J, Soerjomatram M, Ervik R, et al. Globocan 2012 v1.1, Cancer Incidence and mortality worldwide: IARC CancerBase No; 11.
2. Abbas G, Krasna M. Overview of esophageal cancer. Ann Cardiothorac Surg 2017;6:131-6. [Crossref] [PubMed]
3. Hongo M, Nagasaki Y, Shoji T. Epidemiology of esophageal cancer: Orient to Occident. Effects of chronology, geography and ethnicity. J Gastroenterol Hepatol 2009;24:729-35. [Crossref] [PubMed]