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Feature Papers in Section "Cancer Biomarkers" in 2023–2024
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Feature Papers in Section "Cancer Biomarkers" in 2023–2024

A special issue of Cancers (ISSN 2072-6694). This special issue belongs to the section "Cancer Biomarkers".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2024 | Viewed by 4380

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Maxim V. Berezovski

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada
Interests: glioblastoma; lung cancer; molecular diagnostics; circulating tumor cells; tumor-derived exosomes; aptamers; proteomics; biomarkers
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Despite significant advances in the understanding and treatment of cancers, early detection and personalized therapeutic strategies remain essential in improving patients’ outcomes. Cancer biomarkers are crucial tools in this endeavor, providing insights that guide both research and clinical practice. Recognizing the critical role that biomarkers play, we are pleased to present this Special Issue dedicated exclusively to the latest research and advancements in cancer biomarkers.

The topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

Biomarkers Discovery: Exploring new molecular, genetic, and proteomic markers, which could serve as indicators of cancer initiation, progression, or responses to therapy.

Biomarker Validation and Clinical Implementation: Addressing the challenges and methodologies associated with translating laboratory findings into clinically applicable tools.

Precision Medicine and Targeted Therapies: Examining how cancer biomarkers are driving individualized treatment plans that cater to the unique characteristics of each patient's cancer.

Innovations in Detection and Analysis: Surveying the technological advancements that are enabling more precise, reliable, and cost-effective biomarker evaluation.

This Special Issue brings together a diverse array of contributions from prominent researchers, clinicians, and experts in oncology, genetics, biochemistry, and other interdisciplinary fields. The collaborative nature of these works illuminates the multifaceted approach required to realize the full potential of cancer biomarkers. Original articles, systematic reviews, and review papers are all welcomed. The aim is to have a collection of at least 10 articles, which we would assist you with, and the Special Issue may printed in book form if this goal is achieved.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Maxim V. Berezovski
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Cancers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • RNA and miRNA biomarkers
  • DNA biomarkers
  • cell-free DNA
  • protein biomarkers
  • metabolomic biomarkers
  • mutational biomarkers
  • circulating tumor cell (CTC) biomarkers
  • tumor-derived extracellular vesicle (tEV) biomarkers
  • cellular biomarkers
  • imaging biomarkers
  • clinical biomarkers
  • biomarkers of drug response
  • biomarkers of genetic predisposition to cancer
  • epigenetic biomarkers
  • biomarkers of cancer outcomes

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  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 1514 KiB  
Article
Cobalt Serum Level as a Biomarker of Cause-Specific Survival among Prostate Cancer Patients
by Sandra Pietrzak, Wojciech Marciniak, Róża Derkacz, Milena Matuszczak, Adam Kiljańczyk, Piotr Baszuk, Marta Bryśkiewicz, Andrzej Sikorski, Jacek Gronwald, Marcin Słojewski, Cezary Cybulski, Adam Gołąb, Tomasz Huzarski, Tadeusz Dębniak, Marcin R. Lener, Anna Jakubowska, Tomasz Kluz, Marianna Soroka, Rodney J. Scott and Jan Lubiński
Cancers 2024, 16(15), 2618; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers16152618 - 23 Jul 2024
Viewed by 825
Abstract
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in men and the second leading cause of death in male cancer patients. The WHO suggests that cobalt is involved in the carcinogenesis of prostate cancer. There are, however, no studies associating cobalt levels and [...] Read more.
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in men and the second leading cause of death in male cancer patients. The WHO suggests that cobalt is involved in the carcinogenesis of prostate cancer. There are, however, no studies associating cobalt levels and prostate cancer patient survival. In this study, 261 Polish prostate cancer (n = 261) patients were recruited into a prospective cohort between 2009 and 2015. Serum cobalt levels were measured using ICP-MS after prostate cancer diagnosis and before treatment. All study participants were assigned into quartiles (QI-QIV) based on the distribution of serum cobalt levels among censored patients. Univariable and multivariable COX regression models were used to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) for each serum cobalt level quartile. We found a significant relationship between high serum cobalt levels and poor prostate cancer patient total survival (HR = 2.60; 95% CI: 1.17–5.82; p = 0.02). In relation to prostate cancer patients who died as a result of other non-cancer causes, the association with high levels of cobalt was even stronger (HR = 3.67; 95% CI: 1.03–13.00; p = 0.04). The impact of high serum cobalt levels on overall survival of prostate cancer-specific-related deaths was not statistically significant. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers in Section "Cancer Biomarkers" in 2023–2024)
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15 pages, 2034 KiB  
Article
Circulating Tumor DNA Predicts Early Recurrence Following Locoregional Therapy for Oligometastatic Colorectal Cancer
by Conor D. J. O’Donnell, Nikolas Naleid, Teerada Siripoon, Kevin G. Zablonski, Michael H. Storandt, Jennifer E. Selfridge, Christopher L. Hallemeier, Madison L. Conces, Krishan R. Jethwa, David L. Bajor, Cornelius A. Thiels, Susanne G. Warner, Patrick P. Starlinger, Thomas D. Atwell, Jessica L. Mitchell, Amit Mahipal and Zhaohui Jin
Cancers 2024, 16(13), 2407; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers16132407 - 29 Jun 2024
Viewed by 977
Abstract
(1) Background: Local therapies offer a potentially curative approach for patients with oligometastatic colorectal cancer (CRC). An evidence-based consensus recommendation for systemic therapy following definitive locoregional therapy is lacking. Tumor-informed circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) might provide information to help guide management in this [...] Read more.
(1) Background: Local therapies offer a potentially curative approach for patients with oligometastatic colorectal cancer (CRC). An evidence-based consensus recommendation for systemic therapy following definitive locoregional therapy is lacking. Tumor-informed circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) might provide information to help guide management in this setting. (2) Methods: A multi-institutional retrospective study was conducted, including patients with CRC that underwent curative-intent locoregional therapy to an isolated site of metastatic disease, followed by tumor-informed ctDNA assessment. The Kaplan–Meier method and log-rank tests were used to compare disease-free survival based on ctDNA results. ctDNA test performance was compared to carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) test results using McNemar’s test. (3) Results: Our study cohort consisted of 87 patients treated with locoregional interventions who underwent ctDNA testing. The initial ctDNA test post-intervention was positive in 28 patients and negative in 59 patients. The median follow-up time was 14.0 months. Detectable ctDNA post-intervention was significantly associated with early disease recurrence, with a median disease-free survival (DFS) of 6.63 months compared to 21.30 months in ctDNA-negative patients (p < 0.001). ctDNA detected a numerically higher proportion of recurrences than CEA (p < 0.097). Post-intervention systemic therapy was not associated with improved DFS (p = 0.745). (4) Conclusions: ctDNA results are prognostically important in oligometastatic CRC, and further prospective studies are urgently needed to define its role in guiding clinical decisions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers in Section "Cancer Biomarkers" in 2023–2024)
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13 pages, 2179 KiB  
Article
Transcript-Level Biomarkers of Early Lung Carcinogenesis in Bronchial Lesions
by Mikhail A. Pyatnitskiy and Ekaterina V. Poverennaya
Cancers 2024, 16(12), 2260; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers16122260 - 18 Jun 2024
Viewed by 715
Abstract
Premalignant lesions within the bronchial epithelium signify the initial phases of squamous cell lung carcinoma, posing challenges for detection via conventional methods. Instead of focusing solely on gene expression, in this study, we explore transcriptomic alterations linked to lesion progression, with an emphasis [...] Read more.
Premalignant lesions within the bronchial epithelium signify the initial phases of squamous cell lung carcinoma, posing challenges for detection via conventional methods. Instead of focusing solely on gene expression, in this study, we explore transcriptomic alterations linked to lesion progression, with an emphasis on protein-coding transcripts. We reanalyzed a publicly available RNA-Seq dataset on airway epithelial cells from 82 smokers with and without premalignant lesions. Transcript and gene abundance were quantified using kallisto, while differential expression and transcript usage analysis was performed utilizing sleuth and RATs packages. Functional characterization involved overrepresentation analysis via clusterProfiler, weighted coexpression network analysis (WGCNA), and network analysis via Enrichr-KG. We detected 5906 differentially expressed transcripts and 4626 genes, exhibiting significant enrichment within pathways associated with oxidative phosphorylation and mitochondrial function. Remarkably, transcript-level WGCNA revealed a single module correlated with dysplasia status, notably enriched in cilium-related biological processes. Notable hub transcripts included RABL2B (ENST00000395590), DNAH1 (ENST00000420323), EFHC1 (ENST00000635996), and VWA3A (ENST00000563389) along with transcription factors such as FOXJ1 and ZNF474 as potential regulators. Our findings underscore the value of transcript-level analysis in uncovering novel insights into premalignant bronchial lesion biology, including identification of potential biomarkers associated with early lung carcinogenesis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers in Section "Cancer Biomarkers" in 2023–2024)
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17 pages, 2758 KiB  
Article
Microsatellite Instability Testing and Prognostic Implications in Colorectal Cancer
by Vincent Ho, Liping Chung, Kate Wilkinson, Yafeng Ma, Tristan Rutland, Vivienne Lea, Stephanie H. Lim, Askar Abubakar, Weng Ng, Mark Lee, Tara L. Roberts, Therese M. Becker, Scott Mackenzie, Wei Chua and Cheok Soon Lee
Cancers 2024, 16(11), 2005; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers16112005 - 25 May 2024
Viewed by 981
Abstract
Given the crucial predictive implications of microsatellite instability (MSI) in colorectal cancer (CRC), MSI screening is commonly performed in those with and at risk for CRC. Here, we compared results from immunohistochemistry (IHC) and the droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) MSI assay on formalin-fixed [...] Read more.
Given the crucial predictive implications of microsatellite instability (MSI) in colorectal cancer (CRC), MSI screening is commonly performed in those with and at risk for CRC. Here, we compared results from immunohistochemistry (IHC) and the droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) MSI assay on formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tumor samples from 48 patients who underwent surgery for colon and rectal cancer by calculating Cohen’s kappa measurement (k), revealing high agreement between the methods (k = 0.915). We performed Kaplan–Meier survival analyses and univariate and multivariate Cox regression to assess the prognostic significance of ddPCR-based MSI and to identify clinicopathological features associated with CRC outcome. Patients with MSI-high had better overall survival (OS; p = 0.038) and disease-free survival (DFS; p = 0.049) than those with microsatellite stability (MSS). When stratified by primary tumor location, right-sided CRC patients with MSI-high showed improved DFS, relative to those with MSS (p < 0.001), but left-sided CRC patients did not. In multivariate analyses, MSI-high was associated with improved OS (hazard ratio (HR) = 0.221, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.026–0.870, p = 0.042), whereas the loss of DNA mismatch repair protein MutL homolog 1 (MLH1) expression was associated with worse OS (HR = 0.133, 95% CI: 0.001–1.152, p = 0.049). Our results suggest ddPCR is a promising tool for MSI detection. Given the opposing effects of MSI-high and MLH1 loss on OS, both ddPCR and IHC may be complementary for the prognostic assessment of CRC. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers in Section "Cancer Biomarkers" in 2023–2024)
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