Table 2.
Representative glycoproteins as cancer biomarkers
| Marker | Full name | Cancer type | Cancer-associated glycoforms* | Refs. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AFP | α-Fetoprotein | Liver |
Core-fucosylation (AFP-L3) |
|
[102, 104, 105] |
| β-hCG | β-Human chorionic gonadotropin | Testicular, ovarian |
Tri-antennary branching |
|
[106, 107] |
| MUC1 (CA15-3 /CA27-29) |
Mucin1 (Cancer antigen 15–3/27–29) |
Breast |
Sialylation & High-mannose |
|
[108–110] |
| CA19-9 | Carbohydrate antigen 19–9 or cancer antigen 19–9 | Pancreatic, ovarian, gastrointestinal | Sialyl Lewis-a |
|
[111–113] |
| MUC16 (CA125) |
Mucin16 (Cancer antigen 125) |
Ovarian | Sialyl-Tn antigen |
|
[114–116] |
| CEA and other CEACAMs | Carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecules | Colorectal, pancreatic, lung |
Fucosylation & Bisection and branching |
|
[117–121] |
*R – glycan chain; Ser/Thr – serine or threonine; blue square – N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc); yellow square – N-acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc); green circle – mannose; yellow circle – galactose; red triangle – fucose; purple diamond – N-acetylneuraminic acid (NeuAc, sialic acid)