Serum Biomarkers Identification by Mass Spectrometry in High-Mortality Tumors

Abstract

Cancer affects millions of people worldwide. Tumor mortality is substantially due to diagnosis at stages that are too late for therapies to be effective. Advances in screening methods have improved the early diagnosis, prognosis, and survival for some cancers. Several validated biomarkers are currently used to diagnose and monitor the progression of cancer, but none of them shows adequate specificity, sensitivity, and predictive value for population screening. So, there is an urgent need to isolate novel sensitive, specific biomarkers to detect the disease early and improve prognosis, especially in high-mortality tumors. Proteomic techniques are powerful tools to help in diagnosis and monitoring of treatment and progression of the disease. During the last decade, mass spectrometry has assumed a key role in most of the proteomic analyses that are focused on identifying cancer biomarkers in human serum, making it possible to identify and characterize at the molecular level many proteins or peptides differentially expressed. In this paper we summarize the results of mass spectrometry serum profiling and biomarker identification in high mortality tumors, such as ovarian, liver, lung, and pancreatic cancer.

Ultra-filtration of human serum for improved quantitative analysis of low molecular weight biomarkers using ATR-IR spectroscopy

“…Human serum (or plasma) is a vast reservoir for biochemical products collected and accumulated while perfusing the different organs of the body 5 , ultimately reflecting the physiological status of a patient. It is expected that modifications in its overall composition could indicate the presence of disease and consequently deliver a diagnostic based on specific molecular signatures 6 . It is well accepted that proteins secreted and shed from cells and tissues, such as prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and CA125, can be identified routinely and act as biomarkers of disease 7 .…”

“…It is well accepted that proteins secreted and shed from cells and tissues, such as prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and CA125, can be identified routinely and act as biomarkers of disease 7 . In addition, proteolysis within the tissue or deregulated posttranslational events participate in fragmentation of proteins produced in tumours that diffuse into the circulation 6 . This is further supported by recent associations of pathological conditions with small protein and peptide profiles in serum, notably for diabetes 8 , cardiovascular or infectious diseases 9 .…”

Endometrial and Ovarian Cancer with MR Imaging Importance of Serum HE4 and CA 125 Levels in the Extent of Disease at Evaluation

“…The most effective method for curing cancer is early diagnosis [8]. The major issue in ovarian cancer is that the disease is generally diagnosed in the advanced stages.…”

Selected Reaction Monitoring: A Valid Tool for Targeted Quantitation of Protein Biomarker Discovery

“…On the other hand, in non-communicable diseases like cancer, atherosclerosis, diabetes etc. several diagnostic biomarkers had been identified in the past by using mass spectrometry based proteomics approach [19][20][21] but their quantitative estimation in real samples had not been followed. Now days, targeted proteomics approach of triple quadrupole based Selected Reaction Monitoring (SRM) is experiment of choice which is able to quantitate effectively and sensitively in clinical sample.…”