Sugars Interfere or Glycomics in the Field of Cancer Biomarkers

Glycomics is concerned with detection and characterization of glycans present in biological samples. It is well-known that glycan structures impart high degree of structural diversity to biomolecules and thus add wide -ranging biological functions, such as cellular recognition, adhesion or involvement in cellular signaling pathways. They substantially participate in oncogenesis, e. g. in phases of invasion, metastasis and angiogenesis. Therefore, analysis of glycan structures in tumor tissues or body liquids is a promising tool for searching for potential tumor biomarkers essential for an early diagnosis of the neoplastic disease. The presented review describes the process of glycosylation and the origination of N and O glycans, presenting examples of glycan profiling in pancreatic, prostate and ovarian cancer.