University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Department of Tumor Biology, Martinistraße 52, 20246 Hamburg, Germany.
Expert Opin Biol Ther. 2012 Jun;12 Suppl 1:S163-9. doi: 10.1517/14712598.2012.674508. Epub 2012 Apr 16.
Carcinogenesis is accompanied by deregulated tumor cell death and changes in proliferative processes. Apoptotic cells release different components, such as nucleosomes and caspases, into the blood circulation that can be detected by minimally invasive assays. Caspases belong to a large family of proteases, which are frequently overexpressed in various cancer entities and involved in metastases. One critical event of tumor invasion that signals the initiation of the metastatic cascade is the degradation of basement membrane components by protease supporting invasive cell migration and the dissemination of tumor cells.
In consideration of PubMed publications, the current review article specifically focuses on the clinical utility of circulating nucleosomes along with protease and caspase activities and discusses the quantification of these parameters as potential, minimally invasive assay.
The quantification of these circulating cell death products is a promising marker for the pathogenesis of malignant diseases and monitoring of anticancer therapies. The measurement of circulating protease activities and tumor cells in the blood may provide additional information on tumor progression and metastases.
癌变伴随着肿瘤细胞死亡的失调和增殖过程的变化。凋亡细胞将不同的成分（如核小体和半胱天冬酶）释放到血液循环中，可以通过微创检测来检测到。半胱天冬酶属于一大类蛋白酶家族，它们在各种癌症实体中经常过度表达，并参与转移。肿瘤侵袭的一个关键事件是蛋白酶降解基底膜成分，支持侵袭性细胞迁移和肿瘤细胞的扩散，从而启动转移级联。
考虑到 PubMed 出版物，本综述文章特别关注循环核小体与蛋白酶和半胱天冬酶活性的临床应用，并讨论了这些参数的定量作为潜在的微创检测方法。
这些循环细胞死亡产物的定量是恶性疾病发病机制和抗癌治疗监测的有前途的标志物。循环蛋白酶活性和血液中的肿瘤细胞的测量可能为肿瘤进展和转移提供更多信息。
