Zeitschrift für molekulare Biomarker und Diagnose

Neuroblastoma is a cancer that arises from developing nerve cells in infants and young children. It is the most common extracranial solid tumor of childhood, accounting for 6% to 10% of all childhood cancers. Despite advances in treatment, high-risk neuroblastoma remains a challenging disease to cure. One of the reasons for this is the development of drug-resistant neuroblastoma, which is a major obstacle in the successful treatment of this disease. In recent years, researchers have begun to investigate the expression of immunomodulatory checkpoint molecules in drug-resistant neuroblastoma cells as a potential target for new therapies.

Proteomics is the study of the entire protein complement of an organism, organ, tissue, or biological fluid. Proteomics-based identification of dysregulated proteins and biomarker discovery has become an essential tool for early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of various diseases, including cancer. Invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) is the most common type of breast cancer, accounting for approximately 80% of all breast cancers. Proteomics-based approaches have been used to identify dysregulated proteins and biomarkers in IDC, which can potentially improve early detection, diagnosis, and treatment. MS is a technique that can be used to identify proteins based on their mass-to-charge ratio. Proteins are first digested into peptides using a protease such as trypsin. The resulting peptides are then ionized and introduced into the mass spectrometer. The mass spectrometer separates the peptides based on their mass-to-charge ratio and generates a mass spectrum. The mass spectrum can be used to identify the proteins present in the sample.MS can be used to identify dysregulated proteins in IDC by comparing the protein expression profiles of normal and cancerous tissues. Proteins that are overexpressed or under expressed in cancerous tissues can be identified using MS. These dysregulated proteins can then be validated using other proteomics techniques such as western blotting or immunohistochemistry.

Esophageal cancer is the deadliest cancer in the world, with a 92% annual mortality rate per incidence. The two major types of ECs are esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and esophageal adenocarcinoma, with EAC having one of the worst prognoses in oncology. Limited screening techniques and a lack of molecular analysis of diseased tissues have resulted in late-stage presentation and extremely short survival times. The five-year survival rate of EC is less than 20%. Thus, early detection of EC may increase survival and improve clinical outcomes. Cellular and molecular biomarkers are used in diagnosis. However, this is an invasive method that does not produce a molecular profile of the diseased compartment. To reduce the invasiveness of diagnostic procedures, researchers are proposing non-invasive biomarkers for early diagnosis and point-of-care screening options.

Adjuvant whole-breast irradiation following breast-conserving surgery is a well-established treatment standard for early invasive breast cancer. Screening, early diagnosis, surgical technique refinement, knowledge of new and specific molecular prognostic factors, and now the standard use of more effective neo/adjuvant systemic therapies have all played a role in lowering the rates of locoregional relapses. This highlights the importance of reliably identifying women with such low-risk disease burdens in whom removing radiation from the treatment plan would not jeopardise oncological safety. This review summarises the current evidence for radiation de-intensification strategies and details ongoing prospective clinical trials investigating the omission of adjuvant whole breast irradiation in molecularly defined low-risk breast cancers, as well as related evidence supporting the potential for radiation de-escalation in triple-negative clinical subtypes.