Can Alternative Splicing Serve as a Biomarker for Cancer?
Yes, alternative splicing events can serve as potential biomarkers for cancer diagnosis and prognosis. Aberrant splicing patterns are often specific to certain cancer types and stages, making them valuable for identifying and classifying tumors. For example, the presence of specific splice variants of the BCL2L1 gene has been associated with drug resistance in cancer cells. Detecting these variants can help in predicting patient responses to therapy.