Screening Clinically Relevant Biomarkers in Cancer

Abstract

Oesophageal carcinoma is one of the most aggressive malignancies and the sixth leading cause of cancer-associated mortality worldwide. Being the most prevalent histological subtype, oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) accounts for approximately 90% of oesophageal cancer cases. Both genetic and epigenetic alterations contribute to the pathogenesis of ESCC along with considerable diversity in clinical behaviour and prognosis. In-depth biochemical research on rapid profiling and quantification of potential biomarkers are crucial in the clinical management of patients with cancer for developing effective diagnostic tools along with the accurate prediction of prognosis and therapy response in cancer. Currently, there are many conventional and nanotechnological approaches for screening clinically relevant various genetic and epigenetic biomarkers such as point mutation, DNA methylation, global methylation for the early diagnosis and management of ESCC, resulting in a 10% five-year survival rate for patients. Despite excellent analytical performances of the existing detection methodologies, electrochemical approaches offer a promising alternative for simple, sensitive, specific, rapid, and cost-effective analysis of genetic and epigenetic biomarkers in cancer samples. Therefore, innovative technology using electrochemical approach would be an effective way for the detection of biomarkers in patients with cancer.