Proteomics Profiling of Pancreatic Cancer

Abstract Pancreatic cancer remains one of the most lethal diseases, characterized by its late diagnosis and poor prognosis. Current biomarkers, such as CA 19-9 and CEA, do not provide adequate sensitivity and specificity for cancer detection. Mass spectrometry-based proteomics has been emerged as a pivotal approach in biomarker discovery, benefiting from the recent advances in instrumentation, bioinformatics, and methodology. Proteomics approaches, including global proteomics profiling and candidate-based quantitative analysis, facilitate the discovery of potential biomarkers and the subsequent validation. A variety of clinical specimens from pancreatic cancer patients and relevant controls, including pancreatic tissues, plasma/serum, pancreatic juice, cystic fluid, and urine have been investigated, leading to the discovery of a number of potential protein targets for biomarker development. These efforts have laid a foundation for future innovations to improve early detection and treatment of pancreatic cancer.