Abstract
Glycoproteins are well represented among biomarkers for inflammatory and cancer diseases. Secreted and membrane-associated glycoproteins make excellent targets for noninvasive detection. In this review, we discuss clinically applicable markers of cancer diseases and methods for their analysis. High throughput discovery continues to supply marker candidates with unusual glycan structures, altered glycoprotein abundance, or distribution of site-specific glycoforms. Improved analytical methods are needed to unlock the potential of these discoveries in validated clinical assays. A new generation of targeted quantitative assays is expected to advance the use of glycoproteins in early detection of diseases, molecular disease classification, and monitoring of therapeutic interventions.