Global serum profiling an opportunity for earlier cancer detection

Sala, Alexandra and Cameron, James M. and Brennan, Paul M. and Crosbie, Emma J. and Curran, Tom and Gray, Ewan and Martin-Hirsch, Pierre and Palmer, David S. and Rehman, Ihtesham U. and Rattray, Nicholas J. W. and Baker, Matthew J. (2023) Global serum profiling an opportunity for earlier cancer detection. Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research, 42 (1). 207. ISSN 1756-9966 (https://doi.org/10.1186/s13046-023-02786-y)

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Abstract

The advances in cancer research achieved in the last 50 years have been remarkable and have provided a deeper knowledge of this disease in many of its conceptual and biochemical aspects. From viewing a tumor as a ‘simple’ aggregate of mutant cells and focusing on detecting key cell changes leading to the tumorigenesis, the understanding of cancer has broadened to consider it as a complex organ interacting with its close and far surroundings through tumor and non-tumor cells, metabolic mechanisms, and immune processes. Metabolism and the immune system have been linked to tumorigenesis and malignancy progression along with cancer-specific genetic mutations. However, most technologies developed to overcome the barriers to earlier detection are focused solely on genetic information. The concept of cancer as a complex organ has led to research on other analytical techniques, with the quest of finding a more sensitive and cost-effective comprehensive approach. Furthermore, artificial intelligence has gained broader consensus in the oncology community as a powerful tool with the potential to revolutionize cancer diagnosis for physicians. We herein explore the relevance of the concept of cancer as a complex organ interacting with the bodily surroundings, and focus on promising emerging technologies seeking to diagnose cancer earlier, such as liquid biopsies. We highlight the importance of a comprehensive approach to encompass all the tumor and non-tumor derived information salient to earlier cancer detection.

CORE (COnnecting REpositories)