Browse by author
Lookup NU author(s): Dr Fiona CampbellORCiD
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0).
© The Author(s) 2026. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access pages (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).Background: Tumour biomarkers have become increasingly important in oncology, shaping cancer diagnostics, classification, and patient management. Despite their potential, the use of cancer biomarkers in clinical settings remains limited. Objective: This paper aims to outline biomarker development, from classical, serum protein markers to emerging tumour biomarkers, including meta-biomarkers, to show their diversity and point out the challenges in their development, reporting, and implementation in clinical practice as well as their relevance in evidence-based pathology and cancer classification. Methods: A literature-based analysis, incorporating insights from our ongoing research, is presented. Results: Although numerous potential biomarkers, biomarker signatures, and meta-biomarkers, are being discovered, existing innovations are often not supported by sufficiently rigorous research methodologies and standardised reporting practices to enable their translation into clinical practice. Conclusions: To ensure that biomarker discoveries are both scientifically sound and clinically useful, improved research and validation methods, along with adherence to established reporting standards, are essential. We propose the use of the Hierarchy of Evidence for Tumour Pathology as a framework to evaluate and map existing evidence and identify knowledge gaps and research priorities.
Author(s): Maslova K, Chechlinska M, Michalek IM, Taraszkiewicz L, Kober P, Trulson I, Worf K, Gabriel S, Knoblauch L, Campbell F, Cree IA, Holdenrieder S, Kowalewska M
Publication type: Review
Publication status: Published
Journal: Tumor Biology
Year: 2026
Volume: 48
Pages: 1-16
Online publication date: 02/01/2026
Acceptance date: 10/12/2025
ISSN (print): 1010-4283
ISSN (electronic): 1423-0380
Publisher: SAGE Publications Ltd
URL: https://doi.org/10.1177/14230380251410478
DOI: 10.1177/14230380251410478
PubMed id: 41482711
