Toward the discovery of novel reliable biomarkers, epigenetic alterations have been repeatedly proposed for the diagnosis and the development of therapeutic strategies against cancer. Indeed, for promoter methylation to actively become a tumor marker for clinical use, it must be combined with a highly informative technology evaluated in an appropriate biospecimen. Methodological standardization related to epigenetic research is, in fact, one of the most challenging tasks. Moreover, tissue-based biopsy is being complemented and, in some cases, replaced by liquid biopsy. This review will highlight the advancements made for both pre-analytical and analytical implementation for the prospective use of methylation biomarkers in clinical settings, with particular emphasis on liquid biopsy.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bbadis.2022.166390 | DOI Listing |
PeerJ
January 2025
Instituto de Patologia e Imunologia Molecular da Universidade do Porto (IPATIMUP), i3S-Institute for Research & Innovation in Health, Porto, Portugal.
Background: The differential diagnosis between benign and malignant thyroid nodules continues to be a major challenge in clinical practice. The rising incidence of thyroid neoplasm and the low incidence of aggressive thyroid carcinoma, urges the exploration of strategies to improve the diagnostic accuracy in a pre-surgical phase, particularly for indeterminate nodules, and to prevent unnecessary surgeries. Only in 2022, the 5th WHO Classification of Endocrine and Neuroendocrine Tumors, and in 2023, the 3rd Bethesda System for Reporting Thyroid Cytopathology and the European Thyroid Association included biomarkers in their guidelines.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Bioinform
January 2025
RNA Bioinformatics and High Throughput Analysis, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany.
Cell-cell communication mediated by ligand-receptor interactions (LRI) is critical to coordinating diverse biological processes in homeostasis and disease. Lately, our understanding of these processes has greatly expanded through the inference of cellular communication, utilizing RNA extracted from bulk tissue or individual cells. Considering the challenge of obtaining tissue biopsies for these approaches, we considered the potential of studying cell-free RNA obtained from blood.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBMC Med
January 2025
Shengli Clinical Medical College, Fujian Medical University, Fujian, Fuzhou, 350001, China.
Background: Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is often diagnosed at an advanced stage due to the lack of non-invasive early detection tools, which significantly impacts patient prognosis. Given that glycosylation alterations especially high sialylation and fucosylation, frequently occur during cellular malignant transformation, but their roles are not elucidated. We examined alterations in disease-specific glycosylated extracellular vesicles (EVs)-derived miRNAs in the serum of ESCC patients, evaluating their utility as diagnostic biomarkers.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiomed Microdevices
January 2025
Department of Laboratory Medicine, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, 25 Taiping Street, Luzhou, 646000, Sichuan, People's Republic of China.
Globally, breast cancer is the most frequent type of cancer, and its early diagnosis and screening can significantly improve the probability of survival and quality of life of those affected. Liquid biopsy-based targets such as circulating tumor cells, circulating tumor DNA, and exosomes have been instrumental in the early discovery of cancer, and have been found to be effective in stage therapy, recurrence monitoring, and drug selection. Biosensors based on these target related biomarkers convert the tested substances into quantifiable signals such as electrical and optical signals through signal transduction, which has the advantages of high sensitivity, simple operation, and low invasiveness.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMed Sci (Basel)
December 2024
Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Varna, 9002 Varna, Bulgaria.
: NIPT is a widely implemented method for prenatal screening of chromosomal disorders. Its introduction initiated the practice of counseling women pre- and post-analytically. Since the test's usage is established in different conditions, comparing data from various socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds would be of scientific value.
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