Discrimination analysis of mass spectrometry proteomics for cervical cancer detection.

To study the serum protein fingerprint of patients with cervical cancer and to screen for protein molecules closely related to cervical cancer during the onset and progression of the disease using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). Serum samples from 85 patients with cervical cancer and 80 healthy volunteers. Weak cation exchange (WCX) magnetic beads and PBSII-C protein chips reader (Ciphergen Biosystems Ins.) were used.The protein fingerprint expression of all the serum samples and the resulting profiles between cancer and normal were analyzed with Biomarker Wizard system. A group of proteomic peaks were detected. Three differently expressed potential biomarkers were identified with the relative molecular weights of 3974 Da, 4175 Da, 5906 Da. This diagnostic model can distinguish cervical cancer from healthy controls with a sensitivity of 93.3% and a specificity of 95%. Blind test data indicated a sensitivity of 87.5% and a specificity of 90%. MALDI technology can be used to screen significant proteins of differential expression in the serum of cervical cancer patients. These different proteins could be specific biomarkers of the patients with cervical cancer in the serum and have the potential value of further investigation.