Cancer is a collection of chronic diseases that contribute significantly to annual death rates in the United States. Accurate diagnosis of the different types of cancer is paramount in detecting malignancies in their early stages before they metastasize and become resistant to treatment. Moreover, personalized oncology practice incorporates the clinicopathological parameters and the molecular signature of each cancer into determining the best option for targeted therapies for individual patients.
Diagnostic and prognostic protein biomarkers can be found inside cancer cells, secreted into their microenvironment, or leaked into the serum. These biomarkers can be a valuable tool for cancer screening, monitoring disease progression and recurrence. Additionally, some molecular biomarkers can predict the response or resistance to a specific treatment along with potential adverse events, allowing individualized oncology treatments.
Various techniques can be applied toward cancer biomarker discovery, such as immunohistochemistry, laser capture microdissection, tissue profiling by mass spectrometry, chromatography, flow cytometry, two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, and in vitro and in vivo disease models. This Methods Collection aims to be a reliable visual resource of techniques to identify tumor biomarkers that correlate with a cancer diagnosis, progression, treatment response, or relapse. These biomarkers can then be examined for their clinical utility in Precision Medicine Oncology.