Identification of Serum Biomarker Panels for the Early Detection of Pancreatic Cancer.

Background: Pancreatic cancer is a deadly disease for which available biomarkers, such as CA19-9, lack the desired sensitivity and specificity for early detection. Additional biomarkers are needed to improve both its sensitivity and specificity.

Methods: Multiplex immunoassays were developed for selected biomarkers using a Bio-Plex 200 system, and analytical performance was optimized.

Therapeutic drug monitoring in cancer chemotherapy.

For a select number of drugs, proper management of patients includes monitoring serum or plasma concentrations of the drugs and adjusting the doses accordingly - this practice is referred to as therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM). The need for TDM arises when pharmacokinetic variability of drugs is not easily accounted for by common clinical parameters. Many chemotherapeutic drugs have large interindividual variability, yet TDM is not commonplace in chemotherapy management.