Mucins as Precision Biomarkers in Glioma: Emerging Evidence for Their Potential in Biospecimen Analysis and Outcome Prediction.

Despite attempts at improving survival by employing novel therapies, progression in glioma is nearly universal. Precision biomarkers are critical to advancing outcomes; however, biomarkers for glioma are currently unknown. Most data on which the field can draw for biomarker identification comprise tissue-based analysis requiring the biospecimen to be removed from the tumor. Non-invasive specimen-based precision biomarkers are needed. Mucins are captured in tissue and blood and are increasingly studied in cancer, with several studies exploring their role as biomarkers to detect disease and monitor disease progression. CA125, also known as MUC16, is implemented as a biomarker in the clinic for ovarian cancer. Similarly, several mucins are membrane-bound, facilitating downstream signaling associated with tumor resistance and hallmarks of cancer. Evidence supports mucin expression in glioma cells with relationships to tumor detection, progression, resistance, and patient outcomes. The differential expression of mucins across tissues and organs could also provide a means of attributing signals measured in serum or plasma. In this review, we compiled existing research on mucins as candidate precision biomarkers in glioma, focusing on promising mucins in relationship to glioma and leading to a framework for mucin analysis in biospecimens as well as avenues for validation as data evolve.