Heat Shock Proteins as Biosensor Instruments for Cancer Detection

New diagnostic techniques have drawn the attention of experts worldwide due to the consistent rise in oncological disorders. While there has been significant advance in our understanding of tumor biology and clinical intervention strategies, there is still need for improvement in cancer diagnostic procedures, particularly with regard to early diagnosis. Tumor marker-based noninvasive studies are a major avenue for cancer diagnosis. Certain chemicals that are specific to each form of tumor can be found in blood at certain amounts. Despite the fact that a positive result in the determination of tumor markers does not always indicate the presence of a malignant formation, a detailed examination is prescribed based on a positive result. Special attention should be paid to the use of heat shock proteins (HSP) in diagnostics, which perform the function of molecular chaperones. HSPs belong to a family of highly conserved intracellular proteins involved in protein folding in response to stress or heat. Clinical oncology may use HSPs’ aberrant expression and/or subcellular location, which are present in a variety of malignancies, as a marker. This chapter includes information on diagnostic techniques as well as the global significance of early cancer diagnosis. The primary roles of chaperones in the human body are discussed, along with the potential applications for them in cancer diagnostics.