Table 3.
Common tumor biomarkers that can potentially be used as nanoparticle targets
| Tumor Biomarker | Expression in cancer tissues (% of tumors that expression biomaker) | Expression in normal tissues/cells | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solid Tumors | |||
| Folate receptor | Ovarian cancer (90%), renal cancer (86%), lung cancer (72%), breast cancer (43%), brain cancer (25%), pancreatic cancer (50%) | Kidney, colon, lungs, placenta, bladder | (16) |
| EGFR | Non-small cell lung cancer (40% – 80%), colorectal cancer (50% – 80%), ovarian cancer (35% – 70%), gastric cancer (41% – 83%), pancreatic cancer (30% – 50%), breast cancer (14% – 91%), bladder cancer (31% – 72%), head and neck (80% – 100%), glioma (40% – 63%) | Cells that originate from all three germ cell layers, particularly those of epithelial origin (e.g., the skin, liver, and gastrointestinal tract | (17, 18) |
| HER2 | Non-small cell lung cancer (18%–37%), colorectal (26% – 90%), ovarian cancer (10% – 15%), gastric (38% – 45%), breast cancer (25% – 30%), bladder cancer (9% – 36), glioma (20%–54%) | Skin, breast, placenta, epithelial cells on gastrointestinal, respiratory, reproductive and urinary tract | (17, 19) |
| PSMA | Prostate cancer (56.7% – 100%), high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (48.6% – 100%) | Prostate, kidney, small bowel, colon | (20, 21) |
| PCLA | Prostate primary tumor (96.6%), metastatic prostate carcinoma (85.3%) | Brain vasculature, benign prostate tissue | (22) |
| Transferrin receptor | Colon cancer (48%%), breast cancer, kidney cancer, lung cancer, stomach cancer, ovarian cancer * | Skin, pancreas, liver, brain (anterior pituitary), testis | (23, 24) |
| MUC1 | Breast cancer (90%), lung cancer, prostate cancer and colorectal cancer* | Mammary gland, respiratory, urinary and reproductive tracts | (25, 26) |
| Tumor vasculature | |||
| αvβ3 integrins | Melanoma, breast cancer, prostate cancer, pancreatic cancer, ovarian cancer, cervical cancer, glioblastoma, and tumor endothelial vessels* | Platelets, very low levels in resting endothelial cells and normal organs | (27) |
| VCAM-1 | Leukemia, lung and breast cancer, melanoma, renal cell carcinoma, gastric cancer | Upregulated on endothelial cells in response to inflammation | (28) |
| VEGFR | Highly expressed on neovascular endothelial cells**, 73% – 100% in some non-small cell lung cancers | Monocytes, macrophages | (29) |
| Tem1 | Highly expressed on neovascular endothelial cells** including colon, brain and lung cancers | Expressed on normal endothelial cells | (30, 31) |
| APA | Upregulated on perivascular cells of tumor blood vessels, Stromal cells surrounding prostatic carcinoma cells (73%), non-keratinizing type cervical squamous cell cancer (90%) renal cancer (clear cell cancer)* | Expressed in the proximal tubules and glomerulus of nephron (kidney), upregulated in inflamed synovia, granulation tissue, low expression in capillaries and venules of pancreas, lymphoid tissue and intestinal mucosa | (32–35) |
| Supporting cells | |||
| TAMs | Breast, prostate, ovary, cervix, stomach, lung, glioma and bladder cancers* | ** | (36) |
| TAFs–FAP | Overexpressed in 90% of stromal fibroblasts in colon, lung and breast carcinoma | Fibroblasts in healing and inflammation | (37) |
| TEMs | * | Endothelial cells, hematopoietic cells | (38) |
*
Percentages of tumors expressing these receptors is not available;
**
Not applicable
EGFR, Epidermal growth factor receptor; HER2, Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2; PSMA, Prostate specific membrane antigen; PCLA, Prostate cancer lipid antigen; MUC1, Mucin-1; VCAM-1, Vascular cell adhesion molecule 1; VEGFR, Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor; Tem1, Tumor endothelial marker 1; TAMs, Tumor associated macrophages; TAFs-FAP, Tumor associated fibroblasts–fibroblast activation protein; TEMs, Tie-2 expressing monocytes; APA, Aminopeptidase A.