Biomarker assays have massive potential in cancer research. These applications include screening, risk assessment, treatment prediction, prognosis, and disease monitoring. Biomarker assays for cancer drugs are increasingly gaining momentum in biopharmaceutical research. A lot depends on robust biomarker testing. Biomarker assay development and validation are crucial parameters before incorporating them in routine clinical use.
With exponential growth in bioanalytics and cancer research, there are several studies published daily. Biomarkers in cancer research have received an abundance of positive responses from the clinical field. As research grows, a growing need to segregate vital information through the sea of biomarker studies conducted worldwide.
Understanding how the generated information can be used to develop assays and subsequent biomarker validation is crucial. In the current article, we highlight the importance of biomarkers for screening cancer patients.
Importance Of Biomarker Testing in Clinical Use
A biomarker could be a biological product or a predictive marker of outcome or disease. In the context of cancer research, a biomarker can be a predictive measure of cancer progression or can indicate the risk of developing cancer.
Biomarker assays for cancer drugs can evaluate the potential response of treatment. Apart from these applications, research has linked cancer biomarkers to specific molecular pathways. These can help justify the use of specific interventional and therapeutic strategies.
Determining the risk of developing cancer can be a helpful factor in reducing the occurrence of malignancy in the population. Screening a high-risk population is much more efficient than screening the entire population. Biomarker testing can be beneficial to identify high-risk individuals.
Biomarker testing can be used to assess healthy individuals for malignancy. Performing cytokine testing to identify the rise of cancer-associated cytokine levels can help understand the risk of developing future malignancies.
For individuals with abnormalities, biomarker analysis can help differentiate and confirm malignancies. If a chest CT scan shows the presence of a lung nodule, clinicians can perform biopsies to confirm whether the nodule is infectious, cancerous, or benign tissue
For cancer patients, biomarker testing can determine disease prognosis or help understand the likelihood of tumor recurrence. Researchers have traditionally been using clinicopathological properties for assessing cancer prognosis.
Newer technologies such as gene expression signatures and assessment of circulating tumor cells are increasingly gaining attention for cancer prognosis. Biomarkers are also used as predictive markers of a therapeutic intervention. These predictive markers include KRAS in colorectal cancer and HER2 gene expression in breast cancer.
The Road Ahead for Biomarker Testing In Cancer Research
Biomarker testing is increasingly used in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer patients. When new drug products are introduced, they have to pass several stringent development and validation protocols.
Biomarker research is relatively new. Drug developers will want a smooth entry of biomarker assays into the market. They will be focusing more on adequate biomarker assay development and validation. Biomarker assays can prove to be the vital link in developing drugs for cancer. It is an important step that needs to be taken in order to advance biomedical technology.
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