Innovative Therapeutic Strategies Leveraging Biomarkers and GeneEditing to Combat Cancer Progression

Introduction: Cancer remains a leading global cause of death, with clear genderspecific patterns. Women face a higher incidence of breast, cervical, and ovarian cancers, while men have greater mortality from lung, liver, and prostate cancers. Delayed diagnosis continues to drive advanced-stage presentation and poorer outcomes. Genetic and epigenetic alterations, including chromosomal instability, DNA methylation changes, oncogene activation, and tumour suppressor loss, further accelerate cancer progression. Advances in biomarkers and gene-editing technologies offer new opportunities for early detection and targeted therapy. Objectives: To examine how diagnostic delays and genomic alterations influence cancer progression and to evaluate the potential of integrating biomarkers with gene-editing tools for improved outcomes. Method: A narrative review of peer-reviewed literature was conducted, focusing on genderbased mortality patterns, the impact of diagnostic delays, key genetic and epigenetic alterations, the utility of biomarkers such as ctDNA, CTCs, and microRNAs, and the therapeutic promise of CRISPR-based gene editing. Results: Findings reveal strong associations between delayed diagnosis, higher tumour burden, and reduced survival. Circulating biomarkers demonstrate value for early detection and monitoring, while CRISPR and related editing technologies show preclinical potential in correcting oncogenic mutations and restoring tumour suppressor function. Discussion: Integrating biomarker-guided diagnostics with precise gene-editing strategies may enhance early intervention and personalized therapy, though challenges remain related to offtarget effects, delivery efficiency, assay variability, and ethical considerations. Conclusion: Biomarker-driven detection combined with emerging gene-editing tools represents a promising direction for earlier diagnosis and more effective, individualized cancer treatment.