Autoantibodies as biomarkers in cancer

Abstract

Circulating autoantibodies produced by the patient's own immune system after exposure to cancer proteins are emerging as promising biomarkers for the early detection of cancer. An advantage of autoantibodies in cancer detection is their production in large quantities, despite the presence of a relatively small amount of the corresponding antigen. Autoantibodies are also expected to have persistent concentrations and long half-lives due to limited proteolysis and clearance from the circulation. Here, we review current methods for the broad screening of cancer-specific autoantibody targets and the use of such targets to develop clinically relevant assays for the detection of cancer.