title: Proteomics approach to identify biomarkers for upper gastrointestinal cancer.
abstract: The prognosis for patients with upper gastrointestinal cancers remains dismal despite the development of multimodality therapies that incorporate surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. Early diagnosis and personalized treatment should lead to better prognosis. Given the advances in proteomic technologies over the past decades, proteomics promises to be the most effective technique to identify novel diagnostics and therapeutic targets. Areas covered: For this review, keywords were searched in combination with 'proteomics' and 'gastric cancer' or 'esophageal cancer' in PubMed. Studies that evaluated proteomics associated with upper gastrointestinal cancer were identified through reading, with several studies quoted at second hand. We summarize the proteomics involved in upper gastrointestinal cancer and discuss potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets. Expert commentary: In particular, the development of mass spectrometry has enabled detection of multiple proteins and peptides in more biological samples over a shorter time period and at lower cost than was previously possible. In addition, more sophisticated protein databases have allowed a wider variety of proteins in samples to be quantified. Novel biomarkers that have been identified by new proteomic technologies should be applied in a clinical setting.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology , The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center , Houston , TX , USA.|b Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Graduate School of Medical Science , Kumamoto University , Kumamoto , Japan.
authors.forename: Kazuto
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Harada
authors.affiliation: a Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology , The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center , Houston , TX , USA.
authors.forename: Dilsa
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mizrak Kaya
authors.affiliation: a Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology , The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center , Houston , TX , USA.
authors.forename: Yusuke
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shimodaira
authors.affiliation: a Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology , The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center , Houston , TX , USA.
authors.forename: Shumei
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: b Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Graduate School of Medical Science , Kumamoto University , Kumamoto , Japan.
authors.forename: Hideo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Baba
authors.affiliation: a Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology , The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center , Houston , TX , USA.
authors.forename: Jaffer A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Ajani
keywords: Biomarkers; esophageal adenocarcinoma; esophageal squamous cell carcinoma; gastric cancer; proteomics