Circulating biomarkers for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Kenneth K. Lai, Kin Tak Chan, Sarwat Fatima, Nikki P. Lee, Simon Law*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in book/report/conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)

Abstract

Esophageal cancer is the eighth most common cancer worldwide and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is the predominant type in Asia. Surgical resection of the tumor is the mainstay treatment for ESCC. Recent advances in neoadjuvant or adjuvant chemotherapy/chemoradiotherapy for treatment of ESCC have significantly improved prognosis. Despite these advancements, survival of some patients still remains poor in particular for those diagnosed at a late stage. In view of the asymptomatic nature of early ESCC and the limitations of currently used diagnostic methods, there is a pressing need to identify circulatory biomarkers to allow noninvasive and early detection of ESCC. In this chapter, we summarize circulating cancer biomarkers including circulatory proteins, microRNAs, and tumor cells that are found to have elevated level in serum and plasma of ESCC patients when compared to healthy subjects. These biomarkers could help improve the diagnostic efficiency of ESCC.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationNew Advances on Disease Biomarkers and Molecular Targets in Biomedicine
PublisherHumana Press Inc.
Pages85-103
Number of pages19
ISBN (Electronic)9781627034562
ISBN (Print)1627034552, 9781627034555
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Nov 2013

User-Defined Keywords

  • Biomarkers
  • Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

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