Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide, with 13 million deaths attributed to this disease in 2016. Cancer rates are increasing as the world’s population ages, and the worldwide cost of cancer is estimated at 1.16 trillion US dollars per year. However, many cancers have a higher probability of cure if detected early and treated properly. Early treatment requires early diagnosis, which can be enabled by screening of asymptomatic populations with high risk factors. Such screening requires tests that are sensitive and specific, as well as amenable to high throughput.

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A great deal of research effort has focused on harnessing cancer-associated autoantibodies as early indicators of cancer, based on the nature of the autoimmune response. Biomarker researchers and those using autoantibodies to detect cancer recognize the necessity of using panels of analytes, rather than single biomarkers, to develop clinical tests with the necessary sensitivity and selectivity.

Luminex xMAP® bead-based and highly-multiplexed assays are ideal for this application. Luminex bead-based assays are “reliable, accurate, cost-effective, highly sensitive, and have rapid turnaround time for results”.