Recent advances in biomarkers for diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutic evaluation in cervical cancer

• Autor(a) principal: Rodrigues Carobeli, Lucimara
• Data de Publicação: 2023
• Outros Autores: Papa Ambrosio Albuquerque, Eliane
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Scientia Medica (Porto Alegre. Online)
• Texto Completo: https://revistaseletronicas.pucrs.br/scientiamedica/article/view/43033
• topic: uterine cervical neoplasms; tumor biomarkers; genetic testing; early detection of cancer; neoplasias do colo do útero; biomarcadores tumorais; testes genéticos; detecção precoce de câncer

INTRODUCTION: Cervical cancer is a serious health problem among women, especially in low-income countries. Early detection and treatment are critical for a better prognosis and substantially increase cure rates of the disease. In this scenario, biomarkers may be useful for screening, diagnosis, assessment of prognosis, response to therapy, and early detection of recurrence after treatment of cervical cancer. Several biomarkers have been investigated, but few options are available for clinical application. AIMS: To review clinical studies on biomarkers for cervical cancer published in the last 10 years, focusing on the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment evaluation. METHODS: PubMed, Web of Science, and Science Direct databases were searched using the descriptors "Uterine Cervical Neoplasms" and "Biomarkers". Original articles published in English or Portuguese from 2011 to 2021 were selected. After screening by the titles and abstracts of the articles, those related to the objective of the study were read in full for the final decision of inclusion in the review. The studies that met all the selection criteria had their data extracted, especially regarding the type and objective of the biomarker proposed, study population, sample size, methodology used, and main outcomes obtained. RESULTS: This search and selection strategy resulted in 22 articles published in the last 10 years on the topic of interest. There was a great effort to investigate serum biomarkers for cervical cancer, with the advantage of being minimally invasive. There was an emphasis on genetic and molecular markers, such as those focused on DNA methylation, detection of polymorphisms, expression patterns of microRNAs, and expression of genes related to cell proliferation, immortalization, and invasion. CONCLUSION: The data gathered encourage expanded research to improve and validate the efficiency of these biomarkers in large populations. The potential of biomarkers as a strategy to improve the management of cervical cancer diagnosis and treatment is evident, and the use of genetic markers appears to be the future of biomarkers for cervical cancer.