title: Challenges of using mass spectrometry as a bladder cancer biomarker discovery platform.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Bladder cancer (BCa) is one of the most prevalent malignancies worldwide, mostly due to its high recurrence rates. In consequence, the necessity of repeated screening for reappearance demonstrates the urgent need for novel biomarkers as alternatives to invasive standard procedures.
  
  
  METHODS
  Proteomic technologies have emerged as powerful platforms for unbiased biomarker discovery and revolutionized the classical "target-driven" analysis of single marker candidates. Although proteome profiling is still far from demonstrating its full potential in clinical diagnosis, first studies clearly denote its significant potential.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This review provides a discussion of the challenges related to clinical proteomics using mass spectrometry, emphasizing bladder cancer biomarker discovery. An outline of the technological prerequisites for reliable proteome profiling, data mining and interpretation, as well as, reflections on future trends in the field are provided.
authors.affiliation: Mosaiques Diagnostics and Therapeutics AG, Hannover, Germany.
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Schiffer
authors.forename: Harald
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mischak
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Theodorescu
authors.forename: Antonia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vlahou
mesh_terms: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D013058:Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods*; D009367:Neoplasm Staging / Q000379:methods; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D001749:Urinary Bladder Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor