Early detection of cancers is key for better outcomes. To be able to detect very early tumors, or even premalignant lesions, a diagnostic screening test must be highly sensitive and specific. 

One promising approach to the early detection of cancer is to look for evidence of an immune response in the form of antibodies to cancer. The advantage of using antibody immunity as an early marker of cancer is that the immune system can respond to levels of cancer proteins that would not be detectable using tests that directly screen for those proteins. The immune system may also be able to detect subtle changes in proteins when they are abnormally expressed or mutated in cancer. Antibodies to tumor-associated proteins that can be detected in serum have been shown to be useful biomarkers for a variety of cancers.

Recent advances in technology allow for simultaneous testing of antibody responses to thousands of serum proteins. This protein array technology and others — such as screening patient serum against cDNA expression libraries — have revolutionized the field of serum antibody profiling. Our goal is to define antibody panels that would be useful in the diagnosis of many common cancers using a combination of approaches for biomarker discovery. We have made substantial progress in identifying an immunologic signature in breast, ovarian, and colon cancers.​