Plasma Phosphatidylcholines Fatty Acids in Men with Squamous Cell Esophageal Cancer: Chemoradiotherapy Improves Abnormal Profile

Abstract

BackgroundAbnormal metabolism of fatty acids (FA) is considered to play a role in human cancers, including esophageal cancer (EC). Nevertheless, there have been only a few studies dealing with the influence of the chemotherapy or radiotherapy on the plasma FA profiles. In this work we compared FA in plasma phosphatidylcholine (PC) of the patients with squamous EC and healthy subjects and investigated changes in the FA spectrum during neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT).Material/MethodsForty-two men with squamous EC were compared with age-matched healthy controls. The EC group was subjected to concurrent neoadjuvant CRT. We analyzed FA in plasma PC before and after CRT.ResultsThe EC group was characterized by increased levels of both saturated and monounsaturated FA, associated with an increased index of SCD1 (stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1). Moreover, decreased levels of linoleic acid and total polyunsaturated FA (PUFA) n-6 were found in EC patients. The CRT was accompanied by increased docosahexaenoic acid and total PUFA n-3 content in plasma PC, concurrently with the decrease of estimated activity of SCD1.ConclusionsWe found that patients with EC had altered FA profile in plasma PC, which could be related to abnormal FA metabolism in cancer (e.g., altered synthesis de novo, β-oxidation, desaturation, and elongation). The described changes in FA profiles during CRT could be involved in favorable functioning of CRT. Further studies investigating the plasma FA compositions and their changes due to CRT in EC patients are warranted.

Longitudinal Changes in the Fatty Acid Profile in Patients with Head and Neck Cancer: Associations with Treatment and Inflammatory Response

“…Only a few previous studies have reported levels of FAs after cancer treatment. A study on 42 men with squamous cell esophageal cancer observed higher levels of 22:6n-3 and 20:4n-6 after chemo radiotherapy, which is in agreement with the findings of the present study [ 22 ]. However, the higher levels of the above-mentioned FAs could not be correlated to treatment in the present cohort.…”

Plasma free fatty acid levels in cervical cancer: concurrent chemoradiotherapy improves abnormal profile

“…Comparatively, the fatty acid levels of advanced lung cancer patients who had successfully completed chemotherapy tended to stabilize after chemotherapy and 1 month after chemotherapy, and these results suggest that the loss of fatty acids is gradual, generalized, and may be affected by chemotherapy ( Murphy et al, 2012 ). We were surprised to find that DHA ( p = 0.024) and total PUFAs ( p = 0.022) levels were significantly elevated after CCRT, a phenomenon that has been similarly demonstrated recently in breast and esophageal squamous carcinoma ( Zemanova et al, 2016 ; Shaikh et al, 2017 ). A study has shown that DHA significantly enhances the sensitivity of breast tumors to radiation therapy, due to its high unsaturation making it more readily available for incorporation into cell membranes, which in turn may affect their sensitivity to radiation.…”

Circulating fatty acids in patients with head and neck cancer after treatment: an explorative study with a one-year perspective

“…An earlier study on three patients with advanced breast cancer suggested that chemotherapy is a possible cause of low levels of plasma phospholipids [19]. A larger study on 42 men with squamous cell carcinoma of the oesophagus demonstrated increased levels of polyunsaturated FAs after platinum-based chemoradiotherapy [20].…”