Discovery of Novel Peptide-based Biomarkers in Serum for Cholangiocarcinoma Diagnosis and Staging Using MALDI-TOF MS and LC-MS/MS

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a highly aggressive malignancy often diagnosed at an advanced stage due to the absence of specific early symptoms, thereby limiting treatment options and resulting in a poor prognosis. Current cancer staging primarily depends on postoperative histopathological evaluation, requiring surgical resection for accurate staging. This reliance causes delays in staging and subsequently affects treatment planning. Given the challenges in early diagnosis and accurate staging of CCA, there is an urgent need for non-invasive and precise diagnostic tools to improve patient outcomes. To address this gap, this study identified serum peptide biomarkers for cholangiocarcinoma and other hepatobiliary diseases through MALDI-TOF MS and LC-MS/MS, integrated with machine learning models