Metabolic Profiling of Plasma from Pancreatic Cancer Patients in Korea

Abstract

Backgrounds/Aims: Pancreatic cancer (PC) patients have poor prognoses because this cancer is typically diagnosed at an advanced stage and the therapeutic options are limited. We examined the potential of metabolic profiling for early diagnosis and identification of potential therapeutic targets. Methods: Ten patients and 10 healthy volunteer controls older than 20 years of age were enrolled between May and December 2015. The patients were confirmed to have pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma cytologically or histologically. Blood plasma samples were derivatized and analyzed by gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Untargeted GC-MS data were analyzed using statistical methods, including Wilcoxon rank-sum test and principal component analyses. Results: L-lysine was 1.36-fold higher in patients than in healthy controls (p<0.05). L-leucine was 0.63-fold lower (p<0.01) and palmitic acid was 0.93-fold lower (p<0.5) in patients than in controls. Orthogonal partial least squared-discriminant analysis revealed significant differences between the patients and controls. Conclusions:This study suggests that the metabolic profiles of patients with PC are distinct from those of the healthy population. Further studies are required to develop methods for early diagnosis and identify therapeutic targets. Korean J Pancreas Biliary Tract 2019;24(2):61-67