Integrative proteomics and metabolomics advance early cancer detection and targeted therapy with emerging technologies and clinical applications
Abstract
Early detection and personalized therapy remain central challenges in modern oncology. Recent advancements in proteomics and metabolomics have unlocked powerful strategies for identifying molecular alterations associated with cancer onset, progression, and therapeutic response. Proteomics, employing high-resolution mass spectrometry and integrative bioinformatics, facilitates the discovery of differentially expressed proteins in blood and tissue samples, enabling early diagnostic and prognostic assessments. Metabolomics, on the other hand, profiles low-molecular-weight metabolites to capture dynamic biochemical changes. This review focuses primarily on high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) as the primary method for metabolomic analysis, while also acknowledging the role of additional techniques such as nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) in the broader landscape of metabolomics. By integrating these complementary approaches, we provide a comprehensive systems-level view of cancer biology that links protein function to metabolic networks. The altered proteomic and metabolomic signatures highlight robust biomarkers crucial for early screening, disease monitoring, and therapeutic stratification. This review discusses recent breakthroughs in these technologies, emphasizing their integrated role in enhancing cancer diagnostics and precision oncology.