Figure 2.

Analysis of expression profile of mucins in cancer patients. The genetic and epigenetic changes trigger oncogenic progression in different organs, which lead to the expression of disease-specific proteins including mucins. For early detection of cancers with mucin upregulation (as shown in step 1), liquid biopsies are collected using different methods (step 2). In step 3, the collected liquid biopsies are analyzed for genomic, transcriptomic, and proteomic profiling. Analyses of genomic alterations and molecular expression profiles are being increasingly used for detailed characterization of tumors. On the other hand, liquid biopsies such as serum and body fluids are considered convenient and suitable for the early diagnosis of cancers. These liquid biopsies can be evaluated for mucin expression and their post-translation modifications for early cancer detection. The Illustrations in the figure were created with the help of BioRender tool.