Systemic sclerosis biomarkers discovered using mass-spectrometry-based proteomics: a systematic review

<p><i>Context</i>: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is an autoimmune disease with incompletely known physiopathology. There is a great challenge to predict its course and therapeutic response using biomarkers.</p> <p><i>Objective</i>: To critically review proteomic biomarkers discovered from biological specimens from systemic sclerosis patients using mass spectrometry technologies.</p> <p><i>Methods</i>: Medline and Embase databases were searched in February 2014.</p> <p><i>Results</i>: Out of the 199 records retrieved, a total of 20 records were included, identifying 116 candidate proteomic biomarkers.</p> <p><i>Conclusion</i>: Research in SSc proteomic biomarkers should focus on biomarker validation, as there are valuable mass-spectrometry proteomics studies in the literature.</p