Improving diagnosis of genitourinary cancers: Biomarker discovery strategies through mass spectrometry-based metabolomics

Publication date: 30 January 2020Source: Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis, Volume 178Author(s): Malena Manzi, Gabriel Riquelme, Nicolás Zabalegui, María Eugenia MongeAbstractThe genitourinary oncology field needs integration of results from basic science, epidemiological studies, clinical and translational research to improve the current methods for diagnosis. MS-based metabolomics can be transformative for disease diagnosis and contribute to global health parity. Metabolite panels are promising to translate metabolomic findings into the clinics, changing the current diagnosis paradigm based on single biomarker analysis. This review article describes capabilities of the MS-based oncometabolomics field for improving kidney, prostate, and bladder cancer detection, early diagnosis, risk stratification, and outcome. Published works are critically discussed based on the study design; type and number of samples analyzed; data quality assessment through quality assurance and quality control practices; data analysis workflows; confidence levels reported for identified metabolites; validation attempts; the overlap of discriminant metabolites for the different genitourinary cancers; and the translation capability of findings into clinical settings. Ongoing challenges are discussed, and future directions are delineated.
Source: Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis - Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Source Type: research