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Review
. 2023 Aug 31;13(17):2820.
doi: 10.3390/diagnostics13172820.

An Overview of Circulating Biomarkers in Neuroendocrine Neoplasms: A Clinical Guide

Michele Bevere  1 , Francesca Masetto  1 , Maria Elena Carazzolo  2 , Alice Bettega  2 , Anastasios Gkountakos  1 , Aldo Scarpa  1   2 , Michele Simbolo  2
Affiliations
Review

An Overview of Circulating Biomarkers in Neuroendocrine Neoplasms: A Clinical Guide

Michele Bevere et al. Diagnostics (Basel). .

Abstract

Neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs) are a heterogeneous group of diseases that are characterized by different behavior and clinical manifestations. The diagnosis and management of this group of tumors are challenging due to tumor complexity and lack of precise and widely validated biomarkers. Indeed, the current circulating mono-analyte biomarkers (such as chromogranin A) are ineffective in describing such complex tumors due to their poor sensitivity and specificity. In contrast, multi-analytical circulating biomarkers (including NETest) are emerging as more effective tools to determine the real-time profile of the disease, both in terms of accurate diagnosis and effective treatment. In this review, we will analyze the capabilities and limitations of different circulating biomarkers focusing on three relevant questions: (1) accurate and early diagnosis; (2) monitoring of disease progression and response to therapy; and (3) detection of early relapse.

Keywords: circulating biomarkers; diagnostic biomarkers; disease monitoring biomarkers; liquid biopsy; mono-analyte biomarkers; multi-analyte biomarkers; neuroendocrine neoplasms; predictive biomarkers of treatment response.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The perspective of liquid biopsy in early diagnosis, monitoring of therapeutical efficiency, and detection of tumor relapse in NENs. NENs = neuroendocrine neoplasms; CTC = circulating tumor cell; miRNA = microRNA; ctDNA = circulating tumor DNA.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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