Contents
Special Issue Topic

Biomarkers for Personalized and Precise Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment

Guest Editor

Dr. Arun Seth E-Mail

Scientific Director of Molecular Diagnostics, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Molecular Diagnostics, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre; Academic Director, Genomics Core Facility, Senior Scientist, Sunnybrook Research Institute; Professor, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada

Research Keywords: precision oncology; breast and prostate cancer biology; molecular diagnostics; genomic profiling; next-generation sequencing; targeted cancer therapy

About the Special lssue

Biomarkers are biological molecules that can be evaluated as an indicator of a normal biological and pathogenic process, or a pharmacologic response to a drug. Identification of key cancer biomarkers is crucial for diagnosis, prognosis, treatment, and therapeutic responses. A wide range of technologies have been used to study and discover biomarkers including mass spectrometry, imaging, next generation sequencing.
Cancer is a complex disease and develops due to the accumulation of genetic and epigenetic alterations. Precision cancer medicine promotes treatment options based on a patient's profile of genetic variations. This requires validated predictive and prognostic biomarkers that can guide the clinical management of individual cancer patients. The focus in precision and personalized cancer medicine is to identify effective approaches for patients based on genetic factors. Most tumors harbor genetic mutations unique to each patient’s cancer. A subset of these mutations drive oncogenesis by conferring a selective growth advantage to the tumor cell. Many cancers specific changes are druggable with highly specific anticancer agents such as small molecules or monoclonal antibodies. In certain cancer cases, companion diagnostic tests are used to identify safe and effective use of a corresponding targeted therapeutic. Precisely targeted mutated proteins can specifically inhibit cancerous cell growth and achieve remission with fewer side effects than traditional chemotherapies.

Keywords: Biomarkers; precision oncology; molecular diagnostics; companion diagnostics; patient profiling; personalized medicine; targeted therapy; genomics; transcriptomics; proteomics; metabolomics; imaging

Published Articles

Open Access Review
Biomarkers in renal cell carcinoma and their targeted therapies: a review
Shruti Gupta, Shamsher Singh Kanwar
Published: October 25, 2023 Explor Target Antitumor Ther. 2023;4:941–961
2337 33 4
Open Access Original Article
Exploring the implications of modified advanced lung cancer inflammation index on outcomes in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer
Abhishek Mahajan ... Kumar Prabhash
Published: October 11, 2023 Explor Target Antitumor Ther. 2023;4:896–911
1752 28 3
Open Access Review
AGEs and RAGE: metabolic and molecular signatures of the glycation-inflammation axis in malignant or metastatic cancers
Gowri Palanissami, Solomon F.D. Paul
Published: September 28, 2023 Explor Target Antitumor Ther. 2023;4:812–849
4336 63 17
Open Access Review
Malignant tumors of the external auditory canal: diagnosis, treatment, genetic landscape, biomarkers, and clinical outcome
Pinelopi Samara ... Ioannis Athanasopoulos
Published: September 21, 2023 Explor Target Antitumor Ther. 2023;4:801–811
2955 50 5
Open Access Original Article
Deep learning based automated epidermal growth factor receptor and anaplastic lymphoma kinase status prediction of brain metastasis in non-small cell lung cancer
Abhishek Mahajan ... Kumar Prabhash
Published: August 30, 2023 Explor Target Antitumor Ther. 2023;4:657–668
1900 41 9
Open Access Original Article
Deep learning based clinico-radiological model for paediatric brain tumor detection and subtype prediction
Abhishek Mahajan ... Aliasgar Moiyadi
Published: August 30, 2023 Explor Target Antitumor Ther. 2023;4:669–684
1990 28 3
Open Access Review
Capitalizing glycomic changes for improved biomarker-based cancer diagnostics
Maria Luísa S. Silva
Published: June 28, 2023 Explor Target Antitumor Ther. 2023;4:366–395
1808 33 9
Open Access Case Report
Complete response to third-line treatment with trifluridine/tipiracil (TAS-102) in stage IV colon adenocarcinoma
Celia Lara-Morga ... Luis Cabezón-Gutiérrez
Published: April 27, 2023 Explor Target Antitumor Ther. 2023;4:307–315
1649 26 1