Circulating Metabolites as Potential Biomarkers for the Early Detection and Prognosis Surveillance of Gastric and Colon Cancers

Abstract

Background and aims Two of the most lethal gastrointestinal (GI) cancers, gastric cancer (GC) and colon cancer (CC), are ranked in the top five cancers that cause deaths worldwide. Most GI cancer deaths can be reduced by earlier detection and more appropriate medical treatment. Unlike the current “gold standard” techniques, non-invasive and highly sensitive screening tests are required for GI cancer diagnosis. Here, we aimed to discriminate GI cancers from non-cancers and even allow the classification of cancer subtypes by assessing the alterations in metabolites for a specific cancer type. Methods Plasma samples from 37 gastric cancer (GC), 17 colon cancer (CC), and 27 non-cancer (NC) patients were analyzed using three MS-based platforms. Univariate, multivariate, and clustering analyses were used for selecting significant features. ROC curve analysis was based on a series of different binary classifications as well as the true-positive rate (sensitivity) and the false-positive rate (1-specificity). Results Gastric cancer (GC) and colon cancer (CC) exhibited different degrees of cellular metabolism reprogramming. The discriminated metabolites between cancer and non-cancer groups distinguished GI cancer and cancer types. We also applied this test to before- and after-surgery samples, wherein surgical resection significantly altered the blood-metabolic patterns. Conclusion The oncogenic reprogramming of metabolism is a hallmark of cancer that results in the unique metabolic profile of cancer cells. The use of these blood-based circulating metabolites for the earlier diagnosis and prognosis of GI cancer is a promising area of research.