Putative circulating markers of the early and advanced stages of breast cancer identified by high-resolution label-free proteomics

This study evaluated the plasmatic proteomic profile of breast cancer patients in the early (ED) and advanced (AD) stages, employing high-throughput proteomics. We identified 92 differentially expressed proteins in ED and 73 proteins in AD patients. Gelsolin, lumican, clusterin, SALL4 and PMS2, as well hTERT, TNF-α and GRHL3 were chosen for further investigation. ED presented augmented expression of GRHL3 and reduced circulating TNF-α with high expression of GRHL3 in tumors. AD displayed high TNF-α and a significant expression of PMS2 in tumors. These findings suggest processes enrolling stem cell division in ED, with TNF-α signaling and DNA mismatch repair in the advanced stage.