Editorial
Copyright ©2011 Baishideng Publishing Group Co., Limited. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Nov 28, 2011; 17(44): 4845-4852
Published online Nov 28, 2011. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v17.i44.4845
Proteome-based biomarkers in pancreatic cancer
Chen Sun, Ann H Rosendahl, Daniel Ansari, Roland Andersson
Chen Sun, Ann H Rosendahl, Daniel Ansari, Roland Andersson, Department of Surgery, Clinical Sciences Lund, Skåne University Hospital and Lund University, SE-221 85 Lund, Sweden
Chen Sun, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150081, Heilongjiang Province, China
Author contributions: Sun C collected the references and drafted the article; Rosendahl AH and Ansari D revised the manuscript; Andersson R conceived the idea and finalized the revision; all authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Correspondence to: Roland Andersson, MD, PhD, Department of Surgery, Clinical Sciences Lund, Skåne University Hospital Lund and Lund University, SE-221 85 Lund, Sweden. roland.andersson@med.lu.se
Telephone: +46-46-172359 Fax: +46-46-147298
Received: May 13, 2011
Revised: August 1, 2011
Accepted: August 8, 2011
Published online: November 28, 2011
Abstract

Pancreatic cancer, as a highly malignant cancer and the fourth cause of cancer-related death in world, is characterized by dismal prognosis, due to rapid disease progression, highly invasive tumour phenotype, and resistance to chemotherapy. Despite significant advances in treatment of the disease during the past decade, the survival rate is little improved. A contributory factor to the poor outcome is the lack of appropriate sensitive and specific biomarkers for early diagnosis. Furthermore, biomarkers for targeting, directing and assessing therapeutic intervention, as well as for detection of residual or recurrent cancer are also needed. Thus, the identification of adequate biomarkers in pancreatic cancer is of extreme importance. Recently, accompanying the development of proteomic technology and devices, more and more potential biomarkers have appeared and are being reported. In this review, we provide an overview of the role of proteome-based biomarkers in pancreatic cancer, including tissue, serum, juice, urine and cell lines. We also discuss the possible mechanism and prospects in the future. That information hopefully might be helpful for further research in the field.

Keywords: Biomarkers; Mass spectrometry; Pancreatic cancer; Proteome; Screening