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Review
. 2022 Dec 19;22(1):414.
doi: 10.1186/s12935-022-02832-3.

Mass spectrometry imaging in gynecological cancers: the best is yet to come

Dagmara Pietkiewicz  1 , Szymon Plewa  2 , Mikołaj Zaborowski  3   4 , Timothy J Garrett  5 , Eliza Matuszewska  2 , Zenon J Kokot  6 , Jan Matysiak  2
Affiliations
Review

Mass spectrometry imaging in gynecological cancers: the best is yet to come

Dagmara Pietkiewicz et al. Cancer Cell Int. .

Abstract

Mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) enables obtaining multidimensional results simultaneously in a single run, including regiospecificity and m/z values corresponding with specific proteins, peptides, lipids, etc. The knowledge obtained in this way allows for a multifaceted analysis of the studied issue, e.g., the specificity of the neoplastic process and the search for new therapeutic targets. Despite the enormous possibilities, this relatively new technique in many aspects still requires the development or standardization of analytical protocols (from collecting biological material, through sample preparation, analysis, and data collection, to data processing). The introduction of standardized protocols for MSI studies, with its current potential to extend diagnostic and prognostic capabilities, can revolutionize clinical pathology. As far as identifying ovarian cancer subtypes can be challenging, especially in poorly differentiated tumors, developing MSI-based algorithms may enhance determining prognosis and tumor staging without the need for extensive surgery and optimize the choice of subsequent therapy. MSI might bring new solutions in predicting response to treatment in patients with endometrial cancer. Therefore, MSI may help to revolutionize the future of gynecological oncology in terms of diagnostics, treatment, and predicting the response to therapy. This review will encompass several aspects, e.g., contemporary discoveries in gynecological cancer research utilizing MSI, indicates current challenges, and future perspectives on MSI.

Keywords: Cancer research; Endometrial cancer; Mass spectrometry imaging; Ovarian cancer; Vulvar cancer.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Algorithm of the literature search for reviewed articles. Created in BioRender
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Principles of MSI workflow for the most used ionization approaches for tissue imaging. Created in BioRender
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Number of papers published per year on mass spectrometry imaging. Note: The search engine PubMed was used with the keyword ‘mass spectrometry imaging’. From www.pubmed.com
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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