Urinary Proteomics of Breast Cancer Patients from Gujarat for the Identification of Potential Biomarkers

Abstract

Breast cancer cases are rising annually across the globe, with treatment options limited and slim survival chances at the end stage of cancer; the need for an early diagnosis is crucial. The present study aims to explore a noninvasive method for breast cancer detection by analyzing urine collected from patients. In this preliminary study, LC-MS-based profiling has been employed on the proteins in urine samples from Gujarat-based breast cancer patients to find potential diagnostic biomarkers. Differential analysis using limma with Benjamini–Hochberg correction revealed 57 proteins that were upregulated in breast cancer, while 61 proteins were significantly downregulated (p-value ≤ 0.05, FC ≥ 2). ROC curve analysis yielded AUC values above 0.7 for candidate proteins, and functional enrichment analysis showed involvement of PI3K/AKT signaling, phosphoinositide metabolism, and RNA processing pathways. Based on FDR-controlled differential abundance, individual ROC performance, and biological relevance, TMC5, SFPQ, SLC27A5, PLCH2, SPG11, and INPP4B were prioritized as exploratory candidate proteins. These proteins demonstrated potential as noninvasive urinary biomarkers for detection of breast cancer, requiring targeted validation in an independent, clinically characterized cohort before investigating their diagnostic utility.