Lung Cancer Biomarkers

AdvClinChem.2015;72:107-70.LungCancerBiomarkers.IH1,ChoJY2.Authorinformation1DepartmentofThoracicandCardiovascularSurgery,PusanNationalUniversitySchoolofMedicine,PusanNationalUniversityHospital,BiomedicalResearchInstitute,Busan,SouthKorea.2DepartmentofBiochemistry,BK21PlusandResearchInstituteforVeterinaryScience,SchoolofVeterinaryMedicine,SeoulNationalUniversity,Seoul,SouthKorea.Electronicaddress:[e-mail]ostfrequentlyoccurringcancerintheworldandcontinuallyleadsinmortalityamongcancers.Theoverall5-yearsurvivalrateforlungcancerhasrisenonly4%(from12%to16%)overthepast4decades,andlatediagnosisisamajorobstacleinimprovinglungcancerprognosis.Survivalofpatientsundergoinglungresectionisgreaterthan80%,suggestingthatearlydetectionanddiagnosisofcancersbeforetheybecomeinoperableandlethalwillgreatlyimprovemortality.Lungcancerbiomarkerscanbeusedforscreening,detection,diagnosis,prognosis,prediction,stratification,therapyresponsemonitoring,andsoon.Thisreviewfocusesonnoninvasivediagnosticandprognosticbiomarkers.Forthatpurpose,ourdiscussioninthisreviewwillfocusonbiologicalfluid-basedbiomarkers.Thebodyfluidsincludeblood(serumorplasma),sputum,saliva,BAL,pleuraleffusion,andVOC.Sinceitisrichindifferentcellularandmolecularelementsandisoneofthemostconvenientandroutineclinicalprocedures,serumorplasmaisthemainsourceforthedevelopmentandvalidationofmanynoninvasivebiomarkers.Intermsofmolecularaspects,themostwidelyvalidatedonesareproteins,someofwhichareusedintheclinicalsector,thoughinlimitedaccessorypurposes.Wewillalsodiscussthelungcancer(protein)biomarkersinclinicaltrialsandcurrentlyinthevalidationphasewithhundredsofsamples.Afterproteins,wewilldiscussmicroRNAs,methylatedDNA,andcirculatingtumorcells,whicharebeingvigorouslydevelopedandvalidatedaspotentiallungcancerbiomarkers.Themainaimofthisreviewistoprovideresearchersandclinicianswithanunderstandingofthepotentialnoninvasivelungcancerbiomarkersinbiologicalfluidsthathaverecentlybeendiscovered.