HumansPreprint

Plasma proteomics reveals pre-diagnostic markers for 25 cancers

In a study of 9,828 participants, researchers identified 1,732 plasma protein associations across 25 cancers, with 49% statistically replicated in an independent cohort.

medRxiv4 Oct 2026, 07:09 BST

In human baseline samples from 9,828 participants in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition, including 6,073 incident cancer cases, researchers profiled 6,402 plasma proteins. The prospective analysis identified 1,732 protein-cancer associations across 25 cancer endpoints, including 60 proteins linked to overall cancer risk. Testing in the independent Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities cohort showed directional concordance for 78% of associations and statistical replication for 49%. Most identified proteins were linked to a single cancer type, but 284 were associated with multiple cancers. Stratification by follow-up time uncovered 523 associations restricted to specific windows after blood collection, 447 of which were not apparent in the primary analyses. Furthermore, 315 proteins correspond to targets of approved drugs.

Why it matters

Mapping circulating biomarkers years before diagnosis illuminates shared and distinct pathways in cancer development, a leading cause of age-related morbidity. These pre-diagnostic proteins offer potential targets for early screening and targeted chemoprevention.

Caveats

This observational study is a preprint that has not yet completed peer review, and only 49% of the primary associations reached statistical replication in the confirmation cohort.