We aimed to identify novel biomarkers which had been validated and showed sufficient promise to warrant further evaluation in low-prevalence populations.

We identified 431 unique biomarkers; only 35 of which had been investigated in at least two studies, with outcomes for that individual marker for the same tumour type - four of these were identified as the most promising for future studies.

This review highlights the need for more biomarker studies that consider primary care/community settings as their intended populations.

Findings also indicate we still need better reporting to facilitate knowledge translation; we also need more consistency in the use of biomarkers.

Research collaborations are vital to reduce duplicate efforts and ensure appropriate samples sizes when studying low-prevalence populations.