Fatty acid composition of plasma lipids in patients with pancreatic, lung and oesophageal cancer in comparison with healthy subjects.
OBJECTIVE
Despite the general notion of impaired nutritional status in cancer patients, studies on fatty acid status in cancer patients are limited. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether plasma n-3 fatty acids concentrations are reduced in patients with different tumour types.


METHODS
We measured fatty acid composition in plasma phospholipids (PLs) and cholesteryl esters (CEs) in 71 newly diagnosed, untreated cancer patients of three tumour types: oesophageal or cardia cancer (n = 35), non-small cell lung cancer (n = 22) and pancreatic cancer (n = 15) and in 45 healthy subjects.


RESULTS
In pancreatic cancer, plasma n-3 fatty acids showed a substantial reduction in both plasma PLs and CES. Although n-3 fatty acids in lung cancer also tended to be reduced, this difference failed to reach statistical significance. n-3 Fatty acid levels were especially reduced in pancreatic cancer patients without diabetes mellitus, and in lung cancer patients with weight loss. In oesophageal cancer, n-3 fatty acid concentrations were comparable to those in healthy subjects.


CONCLUSIONS
We conclude that plasma n-3 fatty acid levels were reduced in pancreatic cancer, tended to be reduced in lung cancer, but were not altered in oesophageal cancer. Further studies are needed to assess the mechanisms underlying the observed changes in n-3 fatty acid concentrations.
Institute of Internal Medicine II, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Sonja D
SD
Zuijdgeest-van Leeuwen
Michiel S
MS
van der Heijden
Trinet
T
Rietveld
J Willem O
JW
van den Berg
Hugo W
HW
Tilanus
Jacobus A
JA
Burgers
J H Paul
JH
Wilson
Pieter C
PC
Dagnelie
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002788:Cholesterol Esters / Q000097:blood / Q000737:chemistry; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000097:blood*; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000097:blood; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000097:blood*; D010743:Phospholipids / Q000097:blood / Q000737:chemistry; D015431:Weight Loss / Q000502:physiology
D002788:Cholesterol Esters; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3; D010743:Phospholipids