Proteomic analysis of blood plasma as a tool for personalized diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma

Introduction. Lung cancer ranks second in incidence and first in mortality among other oncological pathologies. Despite significant success in the diagnosis and treatment of tumors, the five-year survival rate for lung cancer is only 19 % and has not improved significantly in recent decades, which is mainly associated with late detection of the disease. In addition, the development of metastases reduces the five-year survival rate to 6 %.
Aim. To analyze the plasma proteome of healthy volunteers and patients with lung adenocarcinoma (LAC), as one of the most common forms of lung cancer, to identify proteins that are potential biomarkers of LAC and of the presence of distant metastases.
Materials and methods. The study included 30 healthy donors and 30 patients with diagnosed LAC. using a combination of liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry in combination with the method of multiple reactions monitoring, we analyzed the representation of a wide range of proteins in the blood plasma of the study participants. The data obtained were analyzed using modern methods of biological statistics, including machine learning algorithms.
Results. Based on the quantitative analysis of 118 proteins in blood plasma between the experimental groups, we proposed a panel of 12 significant proteins that are specific markers of LAC. Additionally, we identified three proteins that predict the presence of distant metastases among patients with LAC. Classifiers developed based on these protein panels make it possible to distinguish between patients with LAC and healthy controls, as well as to detect the presence of metastases among patients with LAC, with sensitivity and specificity of more than 90 %.
Conclusion. The data obtained can be used to develop new tests for LAC screening and predicting disease outcomes based on the blood plasma proteome. After additional validation and implementation into clinical practice, these tests can contribute to the early diagnosis of LAC and, as a result, increase patient survival.