The former conventional belief was that cell death resulted from either apoptosis or necrosis; however, in recent years, different pathways through which a cell can undergo cell death have been discovered. Various types of cell death are distinguished by specific morphological alterations in the cell’s structure, coupled with numerous biological activation processes. Various diseases, such as cancers, can occur due to the accumulation of damaged cells in the body caused by the dysregulation and failure of cell death. Thus, comprehending these cell death pathways is crucial for formulating effective therapeutic strategies. We focused on providing a comprehensive overview of the existing literature pertaining to various forms of cell death, encompassing apoptosis, anoikis, pyroptosis, NETosis, ferroptosis, autophagy, entosis, methuosis, paraptosis, mitoptosis, parthanatos, necroptosis, and necrosis.

Dysregulated mRNA–miRNA profiles might have the prospective to be used for early diagnosis of gastrointestinal cancers, estimating survival, and predicting response to treatment. Here, a novel biomarker based on miRNAs binding to mRNAs in single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) sites related to gastrointestinal cancers is introduced that could act as an early diagnosis. The electronic databases used for the recruiting published articles included EMBASE, SCOPUS, Web of Science, and PubMed, based on MESH keywords and PRISMA methodology. Based on the considered criteria, different experimental articles were reviewed, during which 15 studies with the desired criteria were collected. Accordingly, novel biomarkers in prediction, early prognosis, and diagnosis of gastrointestinal cancers were highlighted. Moreover, it was found that 20 SNP sites and 16 miRNAs were involved in gastrointestinal cancers, with altered expression patterns associated with clinicopathological and demographic data. The results of this systematic study revealed that SNPs could affect the binding of miRNAs in the SNP sites that might play a principal role in the progression, invasion, and susceptibility of gastrointestinal cancers. In addition, it was found that the profiles of SNPs and miRNAs could serve as a convenient approach for the prognosis and diagnosis of gastric and colorectal cancers.