Biomarker selection and imaging design in cancer: A link with biochemical pathways for imminent engineering

Abstract

Malignant cells reprogram metabolic pathways to meet the demands of growth and proliferation. These altered manners of metabolism are now identified as hallmarks of cancer. Studies have revealed tumor cells alter specific pathways such as glycolysis, fatty acid synthesis and amino acid synthesis to support their proliferation. In this review, we provide a theoretical framework to understand metabolic reprogramming and the mechanisms accompanying distorted metabolism to tumor progression. How these alterations will be assisting in cancer diagnostics and advances in standard techniques in marker identification and imagining are also discussed.

Diagnosis of Glioma Molecular Markers by Terahertz Technologies

“…Five metabolites (uracil, arginine, lactate, cystamine, and ornithine) significantly allowed high-and low-grade glioma patients to be distinguished. Significant changes in pathways related to nucleotides (e.g., pyramidine), amino acids (e.g., arginine, glutathione, alanine, and tryptophan), and carbohydrate (e.g., glycolysis and pyruvate) metabolism have been observed, which is consistent with the features of tumor development [74,75]. Shen and co-authors identified a unique plasma metabolite profile correlated with 2-year overall and disease-free glioblastoma survival [76].…”