title: Adipose tissue fatty acid composition and colon cancer: a case-control study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  An increased dietary intake of fat, particularly polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), has been related to an increased risk of breast, prostate and colon cancers. Patients with and without colon cancer were tested for differences in their fatty stores composition.
  
  
  METHODS
  The fatty acid levels were determined by gas-liquid chromatography in adipose tissue samples, subcutaneous and visceral, obtained intra-operatively from 52 colon cancer and 50 nonneoplastic abdominal disease patients. Statistical analysis was performed using one-way ANOVA, SNK test and Dunnet test. Differences in the composition of saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, in visceral and in subcutaneous samples of colon cancer and nonneoplastic patients, were assessed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The sum of saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids, respectively, in visceral and in subcutaneous samples, was higher in neoplastic patients (p < 0.001). The sum of some n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), the dietary precursor linoleic acid (LA-18:2n-6), and their metabolites, gammalinolenic acid (GLA-18:3n-6) + dihomogammalinolenic acid (DGLA-20:3n-6) + arachidonic acid (AA-22:4n-6), was higher in subcutaneous fat of controls (p < 0.05). The samples from these patients had a fatty acid composition, both subcutaneous and visceral, with a higher content of alphalinolenic acid (ALA-18:3n-3) and stearidonic acid (SDA-18:4n-3) compared to neoplastic patients (p < 0.001). These had subcutaneous and visceral fat stores statistically higher in GLA, DGLA and AA (p < 0.001). Colon cancer patients had subcutaneous adipose stores higher in ALA and LA than visceral sites (p < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Fatty acids may be involved in colon carcinogenesis and there is a depot-specific impact on this process by visceral fat.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery "Pietro Valdoni", University of Rome "Sapienza" 1st Medical School, viale del Policlinico 155, 00161, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Giuliani
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ferrara
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Scimò
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Angelico
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Olivieri
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Basso
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry*; D023381:Endpoint Determination; D005229:Fatty Acids, Monounsaturated / Q000737:chemistry*; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated / Q000737:chemistry*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D050152:Intra-Abdominal Fat / Q000737:chemistry*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D050151:Subcutaneous Fat / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D005229:Fatty Acids, Monounsaturated; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated