MALDI-TOF MS: A Promising Analytical Approach to Cancer Diagnostics and Monitoring

Cancer remains the second most common cause of death after cardiovascular diseases, accounting for nearly 10 million deaths in 2020. Although the incidence of cancer increases considerably with age, the cancer burden can also be reduced and have a high chance of cure through early detection, appropriate treatment, and care of patients. The development of high-throughput analytical approaches, like matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS), contributes to identifying a pool of proteins/peptides as putative biomarkers for the early detection, diagnosis, and tumor progression. The purpose of the current review is to present an updated outline of recent proteome/peptidome research to establish putative cancer biomarkers using MALDI-TOF MS and highlight the applicability of statistical analysis in the oncology field. The pros and cons of MALDI-TOF MS application on cancer diagnostics and monitoring will be discussed, as well as compared with tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS)-based proteomics (e.g., liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry). In addition, pre-analytical (e.g., sample quality control) and analytical (e.g., sample pre-treatment, instrumental analytical conditions) properties that influence the robustness of MALDI-TOF MS data will be also discussed.

Automated summary

Cancer is the second leading cause of death, causing nearly 10 million deaths in 2020. Early detection, appropriate treatment, and patient care can reduce the cancer burden and increase the chances of cure. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) is a high-throughput analytical approach that helps identify potential cancer biomarkers for early detection, diagnosis, and tumor progression. This review provides an updated overview of proteome/peptidome research using MALDI-TOF MS, discusses the application of statistical analysis in oncology, and compares the pros and cons of MALDI-TOF MS with tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS)-based proteomics.