Recent Development of the Probes for Fluorescence Spectroscopy, Mass Spectrometry and Electron Microscopy in Cancer Diagnosis

Among the different types of cancer, brain cancer is one of the most dangerous and fatal. Therefore, the emphasis on effective and accurate diagnosis and treatment methods is highly significant. The combination of fluorescent probes and mass spectrometry has significantly expedited proteomic analysis in brain cancer. The sensitivity and specificity of the fluorescent probes enable simultaneous detection of the biomarkers of brain cancer. The probes show a selective reaction to the enzymes found specifically and different molecular properties that differentiate a glioblastoma from other brain cancers; therefore, a remarkable advancement has occurred. Separately, being a significant advancement, mass spectrometry allows a high level of accuracy towards the identification and analysis of the protein. Additionally, the complete fingerprint of the proteomes is attained. At present, some of the advances made in brain cancer are: activatable fluorescent probes, real-time mass analysis, along with the delivery platform of nanotechnology, which has shown remarkable improvements in tissue uptake with less background interference. Considering some limitations such as tumor heterogeneity, less biological compatibility of probes, as well as some limitations of the blood-brain barrier, collectively these techniques demonstrate an unparalleled advancement in targeted cancer therapy. This article aims to illuminate the principles and recent advancements in fluorescent probe development, along with their synergistic combination with mass spectrometry for the identification and treatment of cancer. The combination of these techniques will completely revolutionize the detection and treatment of brain cancer and will be a turning point in molecular neuro-oncology.