Advances In Cancer Biomarkers

At present there are a growing number of biomolecules under investigation to understand their potential role as cancer biomarker for diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic purposes. Intriguingly, the state of art on cancer biomarkers research shows interesting and promising results together to clamorous failures. Also from a clinical point of view, there are contradictory results on routine clinical use of the present cancer biomarkers. Some patients may be simply monitored in their course by a periodic blood sample, but sometimes this monitoring shows dramatic limits. A lot of patients show serious and extensive relapses without significant change in serum concentrations of biomarkers tested. Often the physician who should utilize these biomarker does not entirely know their limits and the total potential applications as well and sometimes this knowledge is influenced by economical and marketing strategies. This limited and “polluted” knowledge may have dramatic consequences for patient. The aim of this book is to diffuse all aspects of cancer biomarkers, from their biochemical peculiarities to all clinical implications by passing through their physiology and pathophysiology. This critical approach towards old and new cancer biomarkers should foster a deepened and useful understanding of the diagnostic and prognostic index of these fundamental parameters of laboratory medicine and in the same time facilitating the research of new and more sensitive-specific signals of the cancer cell proliferation.

Many cancer patients are diagnosed at a stage in which the cancer is too far advanced to be cured, and most cancer treatments are effective in only a minority of patients undergoing therapy. Thus, there is tremendous opportunity to improve the outcome for people with cancer by enhancing detection and treatment approaches. Biomarkers will be instrumental in making that transition. Advances in biotechnology and genomics have given scientists new hope that biomarkers can be used to improve cancer screening and detection, to improve the drug development process, and to enhance the effectiveness and safety of cancer care by allowing physicians to tailor treatment for individual patients—an approach known as personalized medicine. However, progress overall has been slow, despite considerable effort and investment, and there are still many challenges and obstacles to overcome before this paradigm shift in oncology can become a reality.

At present there are a growing number of biomolecules under investigation to understand their potential role as cancer biomarker for diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic purposes. Intriguingly, the state of art on cancer biomarkers research shows interesting and promising results together to clamorous failures. Also from a clinical point of view, there are contradictory results on routine clinical use of the present cancer biomarkers. Some patients may be simply monitored in their course by a periodic blood sample, but sometimes this monitoring shows dramatic limits. A lot of patients show serious and extensive relapses without significant change in serum concentrations of biomarkers tested. Often the physician who should utilize these biomarker does not entirely know their limits and the total potential applications as well and sometimes this knowledge is influenced by economical and marketing strategies. This limited and "polluted" knowledge may have dramatic consequences for patient. The aim of this book is to diffuse all aspects of cancer biomarkers, from their biochemical peculiarities to all clinical implications by passing through their physiology and pathophysiology. This critical approach towards old and new cancer biomarkers should foster a deepened and useful understanding of the diagnostic and prognostic index of these fundamental parameters of laboratory medicine and in the same time facilitating the research of new and more sensitive-specific signals of the cancer cell proliferation.

This book provides information about different types and stages of cancer and their subtypes with their respective molecular mechanisms, etiology, histopathology, and cellular origins. This book also provides detailed information about cancer incidence, mortality, and different types of technologies both bio and nano employed in cancer diagnosis and screening, and their applications in cancer therapies. This book informs readers about molecular mechanisms of cancer, diagnosis, and therapies along with different computational techniques used on a single platform. The chapters include a broad and integrated perspective on cancer-related topics. This book covers both conventional and emerging techniques employed in cancer screening and diagnosis, including imaging, biomarker, and electrochemical nanosensor-based approaches with detailed information on sensor development. Similarly, this book also covers the mechanisms of different conventional and emerging herbal and nano therapies used in cancer treatment. The authors discuss applications of different computational and mathematical tools, such as machine-learning methods, that can be employed in cancer diagnosis and therapy at the level of personalized medicine. Features: Offers an integrated approach to provide information about all aspects of cancer biology, diagnosis, and therapy Focuses on both conventional and emerging tools/techniques applicable in cancer screening and diagnosis Covers the mechanisms of conventional and emerging anticancer drugs and therapies Provides insights about a personalized medicine-based approach in cancer diagnosis and therapy This book is essential for university students, course lecturers, researchers, and industrialists working in the fields of cancer biology, medicine, and pharmacology.

Expert laboratory and clinical researchers from around the world review how to design and evaluate studies of tumor markers and examine their use in breast cancer patients. The authors cover both the major advances in sophisticated molecular methods and the state-of-the-art in conventional prognostic and predictive indicators. Among the topics discussed are the relevance of rigorous study design and guidelines for the validation studies of new biomarkers, gene expression profiling by tissue microarrays, adjuvant systemic therapy, and the use of estrogen, progesterone, and epidermal growth factor receptors as both prognostic and predictive indicators. Highlights include the evaluation of HER2 and EGFR family members, of p53, and of UPA/PAI-1; the detection of rare cells in blood and marrow; and the detection and analysis of soluble, circulating markers.

This book provides a comprehensive overview of the fast-evolving subject of clinical application of cancer therapeutic biomarkers. The second edition captures significant progress of cancer immunotherapy and emphasizes the genetic basis for selective cancer treatment. It covers an in-depth insight on biomarkers across a broad area of cancer research and oncology with a wealth of integrated genetic and molecular information about specific therapies by a multidisciplinary team of internationally recognized experts. Each chapter focuses on a class of targeted, immunologic, or chemotherapy agents and their companion biomarkers that predict response, benefit or resistance, and severe adverse event. The book will serve as a handbook for health professionals and scientists on the current applicable biomarkers in the management of cancer. The vision into the systemic classification and statistical consideration of therapeutic biomarkers summarized by the book editors and chapter authors will help advance precision medicine—a precisely tailored cancer treatment strategy for cancer patient care.

The Advances in Cancer Research series provides invaluable information on the exciting and fast-moving field of cancer research. This volume stands as the first ever thematic volume in the series, focusing on the topic of genomics in cancer drug development. The chapters included in this book represent the cutting-edge information in the field and span such topics as Mass Spectrometry: Uncovering the Cancer Proteome for Diagnostics; Biomarker Discovery in Epithelial Ovarian Cancer by Genomic Approaches; The Application of siRNA Technology to Cancer Biology Discovery; Ribozyme Technology for Cancer Gene Target Identification and Validation; Cancer Cell-Based Genomic and Small Molecule Screens; Tumour Antigens as Surrogate Markers and Targets for Therapy and Vaccines; Practices and Pitfalls of Mouse Cancer Models in Drug Discovery; Biomarker Assay Translation from Discovery to Clinical Studies in Cancer Drug Development – Quantification of Emerging Protein Biomarkers; Molecular Optical Imaging of Therapeutic Targets of Cancer; Cancer Drug Approval in the United States, Europe and Japan.

This book sheds new light on research into liquid biopsy biomarkers for cancer screening. The chapters in the first half address exosomes, circulating cell-free DNA and autoantibodies, and main solid cancers, along with companion biomarkers – all of which serve as the basis for exploring key research questions for future clinical trials in the book’s second half. The study of biomarkers has evolved rapidly thanks to advances in precision medicine. While conventional cancer biomarker research is focused on proteomics or gene analysis of resected tissue, diagnostic markers have since become significant in terms of gauging the effectiveness of molecularly targeted drugs or the likelihood of a favorable prognosis. In addition, conventional treatment strategy, which draws on archives of resected tissue samples, is now gradually being replaced by monitoring with the use of liquid biopsy, which is poised to become the new mainstream in molecular targeting therapy. The contributing authors discuss in detail biomarkers, molecular targets for treatment, monitoring markers to evaluate treatment responses, prognostic markers, and screening and early diagnosis. Accordingly, this excellent collection of texts will benefit not only oncologists, but also medical and biological researchers and pharmaceutical scientists involved in the latest cancer research.