Targeting of YKL-40 as a Protumor in Personalized Medicine: A New Dimension in Disease Understanding

Individualization of the therapeutic plan for cancer patients is the essence of modern clinical practice. Standard cancer diagnostic and prognostic factors are invasive, and their value for the stratification of cancer patients with a higher risk of local or distant recurrence is limited. YKL-40 is a protumor glycoprotein linked to the immunosuppressive tumor in a microenvironment and an important biomarker of cell activation, proliferation, and migration.

The objective is to update the review, and molecular and clinical research should investigate novel modalities of targeting this glycoprotein for cancer treatment.

Relevant studies published in the English language were identified by searching PubMed, Google Scholar, and MEDLINE from January 2000 to December 2023. Published studies that specifically elicited the role of YKL-40 as a biomarker in different types of tumors were included.

YKL-40 cancer prognostic effect was reported in various cancer types.

Since antibodies against YKL-40 can inhibit tumor angiogenesis and cancer progression, it can be suggested as an attractive candidate for chemical cancer therapy and immunomodulation.