title: MALDI TOF imaging mass spectrometry in clinical pathology: a valuable tool for cancer diagnostics (review).
abstract: Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) time-of-flight (TOF) imaging mass spectrometry (IMS) is an evolving technique in cancer diagnostics and combines the advantages of mass spectrometry (proteomics), detection of numerous molecules, and spatial resolution in histological tissue sections and cytological preparations. This method allows the detection of proteins, peptides, lipids, carbohydrates or glycoconjugates and small molecules.Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue can also be investigated by IMS, thus, this method seems to be an ideal tool for cancer diagnostics and biomarker discovery. It may add information to the identification of tumor margins and tumor heterogeneity. The technique allows tumor typing, especially identification of the tumor of origin in metastatic tissue, as well as grading and may provide prognostic information. IMS is a valuable method for the identification of biomarkers and can complement histology, immunohistology and molecular pathology in various fields of histopathological diagnostics, especially with regard to identification and grading of tumors.
authors.affiliation: MVZ for Histology, Cytology and Molecular Diagnostics, Trier, Germany.
authors.forename: Jörg
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kriegsmann
authors.affiliation: Institute for Pathology, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kriegsmann
authors.affiliation: Proteopath GmbH, Trier, Germany.
authors.forename: Rita
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Casadonte
mesh_terms: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism; D005615:Freezing; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000379:methods; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D016612:Paraffin Embedding; D010338:Pathology, Clinical / Q000379:methods*; D011379:Prognosis; D011506:Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D013048:Specimen Handling / Q000379:methods; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization / Q000379:methods*; D046888:Tissue Array Analysis; D016707:Tissue Fixation / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D011506:Proteins