Received on March 25, 2008
Accepted on July 14, 2008

Mini-Review

Utility of Kallikrein-Related Peptidases (KLKs) as Cancer Biomarkers

¹ Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, and Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Mount Sinai Hospital
² Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, and Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Mount Sinai Hospital, and Department of Clinical Biochemistry, University Health Network and Toronto Medical Laboratories, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: ediamandis{at}mtsinai.on.ca.

BACKGROUND: The human kallikrein-related peptidase (KLK) family consists of 15 highly conserved serine proteases, which are encoded by the largest uninterrupted cluster of protease genes in the human genome. To date, several members of the family have been reported as potential cancer biomarkers. Although primarily known for their biomarker value in prostate, ovarian, and breast cancers, more recent data suggest analogous roles of KLKs in several other cancers, including gastrointestinal, head and neck, lung, and brain malignancies. Among the proposed KLK cancer biomarkers, prostate-specific antigen (also known as KLK3) is the most widely recognized member in urologic oncology.

CONTENT: Despite substantial progress in the understanding of the biomarker utility of individual KLKs, the current challenge lies in devising biomarker panels to increase the accuracy of prognosis, prediction of therapy, and diagnosis. To date, multiparametric KLK panels have been proposed for prostate, ovarian, and lung cancers. In addition to their biomarker utility, emerging evidence has revealed a number of critical functional roles for KLKs in the pathogenesis of cancer and their potential use as therapeutic targets.

SUMMARY: KLKs have biomarker utility in many cancer types but individually lack sufficient specificity or sensitivity to be used in clinical practice; however, groups of KLKs and other candidate biomarkers may offer improved performance.