Biomonitoring exposures to carcinogens

A wide array of analytical tools exists to assess biological parameters, referred to as biomarkers, that in clinical medicine are used as indicators of normal or pathological processes, and of pharmacological responses. In environmental and occupational health the term biomarker is used differently, indicating signaling events in biological systems or samples that are aimed at preventing adverse effects of exposures. A procedure known as human biomonitoring measures the size of human exposures to chemicals, their biochemical effects, and individual susceptibility. This chapter summarizes biomarkers currently used for carcinogen biomonitoring and highlights their value and limitations, restricting the examples of exposures to those chemicals classified in groups 1 and 2A by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Several tests to monitor individuals exposed to carcinogens have been introduced, but their clinical and preventive relevance is uncertain. A new era for biomarkers may result from the application of novel high-throughput techniques. © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved..