title: Targeting serum antibody for cancer diagnosis: a focus on colorectal cancer.
abstract: The ability of the immune system to magnify the appearance of disease by generating relatively large amounts of antibody in response to small amounts of disease makes it a natural biosensor, and serum antibodies have emerged as promising biomarkers for the detection of cancer. This review summarizes recent progress in targeting serum antibodies for cancer diagnosis, with a particular focus on colorectal cancer (CRC). Several serum antibodies have been detected at increased levels in CRC patients, including p53, carcinoembryonic antigen, Ras, topoisomerase II-alpha, histone deacetylase 3 and 5, ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase L3, tropomyosin and cyclin B1. As each antibody is only present in a limited proportion of patients (usually < 40%), a combination of serum antibodies that defines the 'immunological signature' of cancer needs to be developed. High-throughput methods to identify new serum antibodies for cancer diagnosis are also reviewed.
authors.affiliation: Tumor Vaccine Group, Center for Translational Medicine in Women's Health, University of Washington, 815 Mercer Street, Room 219, Seattle, WA, USA. hlu@u.washington.edu
authors.forename: Hailing
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Vivian
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Goodell
authors.forename: Mary L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Disis
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000912:Antibodies, Neoplasm / Q000097:blood*; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood*; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D000912:Antibodies, Neoplasm; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor