Lung Cancer Biomarker Journals
Lung
cancer is the most common cause of
cancer mortality worldwide,
accounting for 25% of all
cancer deaths with an incidence rate of 1.2 million people per year. The main risk factor of
lung cancer is smoking; the risk of
lung cancer is tenfold higher in smokers than in non-smokers.
Lung cancer can typically be grouped into two large categories: small-cell
lung cancer (SCLC) and
non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), which account for 15% and 85% of
lung cancers, respectively. The discovery of
cancer biomarkers, specific molecules that help to distinguish between normal and cancerous conditions, may potentially be used to develop a more effective diagnostic tool for
lung cancer.
Cancer biomarkers consist of either of genetic materials or proteins because
cancer is a heterogeneous disease that reflects gene and protein changes within a
cancer cell. However, proteins are the main functional units of biological processes. Almost all of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved
cancer biomarkers are protein markers.
Proteomics is a powerful tool for identifying
lung cancer biomarkers that can be tested in the blood. Previously, our group reported several potential
lung cancer biomarkers, including plasma kallikrein (KLKB1) protein fragments, serum amyloid A (SAA), haptoglobin β chain [Hp β], and complement component 9 (C9), using
proteomics approaches.