Mass spectrometry analysis of glycoprotein biomarkers in human blood of hepatocellular carcinoma

Introduction: Diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is important for improving the survival rate and selecting the optimum therapeutic option. However, some patients with HCC are not diagnosed until after symptoms appear, when the tumor is already advanced. Thus, biomarkers associated with HCC and novel diagnostic methods are required to improve the diagnosis of HCC. Mass spectrometry (MS) is one of the most widely used analytical tools in proteomic research. Furthermore, tandem MS (MS/MS) has been applied for the discovery and verification of protein biomarkers for clinical use. Areas covered: We review candidate glycoprotein biomarkers, including their aberrant glycosylation discovered by MS-based proteomics techniques and their diagnostic strategies using human blood samples. Finally, we discuss the limitations and prospects of MS-based approaches for clinical applications. Expert commentary: The development of biomarkers with high sensitivity and specificity is essential for optimizing the management of HCC. Various glycoprotein biomarkers of HCC have been identified using MS-based techniques. MS-based assays will continue to play an important role in clinical applications for discovery and verification of biomarkers. Furthermore, combination of multibiomarker, improvements in sample enrichment and the development of highly sensitive MS methods will facilitate more rapid adoption of MS for the diagnosis of HCC.