Proteomics, Personalized Medicine and Cancer

Our plain-English summary of Proteomics, Personalized Medicine and Cancer, by M. Su, Z. Zhang, L. Zhou, et al (Cancers, 2021).

The study

• Authors: M. Su, Z. Zhang, L. Zhou, C. Han, C. Huang, E.C. Nice
• Journal: Cancers
• Published: 2021;13(11)
• Type of article: Review
• Cited by: 55 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

Abstract

As of 2020 the human genome and proteome are both at >90% completion based on high stringency analyses. This has been largely achieved by major technological advances over the last 20 years and has enlarged our understanding of human health and disease, including cancer, and is supporting the current trend towards personalized/precision medicine. This is due to improved screening, novel therapeutic approaches and an increased understanding of underlying cancer biology. However, cancer is a complex, heterogeneous disease modulated by genetic, molecular, cellular, tissue, population, environmental and socioeconomic factors, which evolve with time. In spite of recent advances in treatment that have resulted in improved patient outcomes, prognosis is still poor for many patients with certain cancers (e.g., mesothelioma, pancreatic and brain cancer) with a high death rate associated with late diagnosis. In this review we overview key hallmarks of cancer (e.g., autophagy, the role of redox signaling), current unmet clinical needs, the requirement for sensitive and specific biomarkers for early detection, surveillance, prognosis and drug monitoring, the role of the microbiome and the goals of personalized/precision medicine, discussing how emerging omics technologies can further inform on these areas. Exemplars from recent onco-proteogenomic-related publications will be given. Finally, we will address future perspectives, not only from the standpoint of perceived advances in treatment, but also from the hurdles that have to be overcome.

In plain English

This article was a review, not a new study. The authors stated that no new data were created or analyzed. They gave an overview of proteomics, the large-scale study of proteins, and its role in cancer research and personalized or precision medicine. They described methods such as mass spectrometry, the "hallmarks of cancer," protein biomarkers for detecting and monitoring cancer, and the possible role of the microbiome (the body's microorganisms). They also discussed future technologies. They noted that, as of 2020, the human genome and proteome were both more than 90% complete. The article did not discuss asbestos or any asbestos fiber. Mesothelioma appeared only twice. It was named as one example of a cancer with still-poor prognosis. A table of microbes used in cancer therapy also listed it among the cancers for one bacterial strain. The authors concluded that translational studies are leading to new and improved clinical assays that will continue to support the roll-out of precision medicine. They suggested perhaps the uptake of precision medicine now posed the major hurdles, including big data problems and concerns about privacy, ethical responsibilities and equity.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: narrative review; no new data
• Who was studied: No study population; the authors reviewed published research on proteomics and cancer
• Exposure: No asbestos or other occupational exposure was studied; the review concerned proteomics technologies and cancer biology
• Main results:
  • The authors reported that, as of 2020, the human genome and proteome were both more than 90% complete.
  • Mesothelioma was mentioned only as an example of a cancer with still-poor prognosis, alongside pancreatic and brain cancer.
  • The review covered cancer biomarkers for diagnosis and treatment, the microbiome, emerging omics technologies and the goals of personalized/precision medicine.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that translational studies are leading to new and improved clinical assays that will continue to support the roll-out of precision medicine. They suggested that it is perhaps the uptake of precision medicine that now poses the major hurdles, in particular the big data problem and concerns about privacy, ethical responsibilities and equity.
• Limitations the authors state:
  • The authors acknowledged that, because of space limitations, they could not mention many publications that have informed the field.

Topics

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Prognosis, Mesothelioma, Biomarker.

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