质谱成像技术及其在乳腺癌研究中的应用
摘要
The incidence of breast cancer, one of the most common malignancies affecting women, is increasing significantly worldwide. Given the rapid development of medical technology, early and effective diagnostic methods should be able to improve the survival rate and quality of life of patients suffering from disease. However, although existing treatment options, including chemotherapy and endocrine therapies, have greatly improved the survival of patients, disease recurrence in the long term remains a challenge. Because breast cancer is a heterogeneous and complex disease, which includes several subtypes with different responses to treatment, the continual acquisition of spatial information on related biomolecules is important for accurate tracking of the tumor heterogeneity and microenvironment. At present, prognostic and predictive biomarkers, such as human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), estrogen receptor (ER), Ki-67, progesterone receptor (PR), and programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), are validated for use in the decision-making over breast cancer therapies. Mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) is a useful technique for acquiring molecular information about biological tissues, including qualitative, quantitative, and spatial distribution information, because it is based on the ion mass-to-charge ratio of the biomolecules and avoids the need for their labeling and staining. MSI can also acquire molecular information on drugs and their metabolites, as well as that on molecules related to endogenous metabolism, such as lipids, peptides, and proteins. Of the various ion sources available for MSI, the most popular are matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization, secondary ion mass spectrometry, and desorption electrospray ionization, and modifications or derivatives of these sources are still emerging. MSI-based techniques provide new ideas and directions for the molecular typing of tumors, as well as knowledge on the metabolism of related antitumor drugs. The process