ABSTRACT
Autologous cellular components generally referred to as tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) have been recognized and evaluated as markers of disease states for decades [1,2]. The application of cancerassociated autoantibodies to the understanding of human cancer has been ongoing for a similar period of time and has provided insight into molecular mechanisms of human carcinogenesis. The majority of the autologous cellular components that present reactive epitopes to the immune system have been found to be intracellular proteins [3]. Often the proteins representing these epitopes function in cell cycle regulation, DNA repair and replication, and RNA processing. We and others are exploiting our understanding of the immune response to evaluating panels of cancer-associated autoantibodies as measurable circulating molecular biosensors in blood to develop diagnostic tests for the presymptomatic detection of cancer.
