Detection of Early Cancer: Genetics or Immunology? Serum Autoantibody Profiles as Markers of Malignancy

The search for effective methods for detecting cancers at very early stages is currently a top priority of cancer research. While numerous oncogenes have been identified in and associated with human cancers, the last 50 years of molecular and genetic studies have not led to a breakthrough in either the diagnosis or the treatment of cancers. Therefore, the role of oncogenes in carcinogenesis is still unclear, as is their usefulness in the diagnosis of human cancers. In the present review, we discuss the concept of oncogenes and summarize the current approaches for the early detection of human cancers based on antibodies arrays.