title: A distinct metabolic signature of human colorectal cancer with prognostic potential.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Metabolic phenotyping has provided important biomarker findings, which, unfortunately, are rarely replicated across different sample sets due to the variations from different analytical and clinical protocols used in the studies. To date, very few metabolic hallmarks in a given cancer type have been confirmed and validated by use of a metabolomic approach and other clinical modalities. Here, we report a metabolomics study to identify potential metabolite biomarkers of colorectal cancer with potential theranostic value.
  
  
  METHODS
  Gas chromatography-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC-TOFMS)-based metabolomics was used to analyze 376 surgical specimens, which were collected from four independent cohorts of patients with colorectal cancer at three hospitals located in China and City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center in the United States. Differential metabolites were identified and evaluated as potential prognostic markers. A targeted transcriptomic analysis of 29 colorectal cancer and 27 adjacent nontumor tissues was applied to analyze the gene expression levels for key enzymes associated with these shared metabolites.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A panel of 15 significantly altered metabolites was identified, which demonstrates the ability to predict the rate of recurrence and survival for patients after surgery and chemotherapy. The targeted transcriptomic analysis suggests that the differential expression of these metabolites is due to robust metabolic adaptations in cancer cells to increased oxidative stress as well as demand for energy, and macromolecular substrates for cell growth and proliferation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These patients with colorectal cancer, despite their varied genetic background, mutations, pathologic stages, and geographic locations, shared a metabolic signature that is of great prognostic and therapeutic potential.
authors: Authors' Affiliations: Center for Translational Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People's Hospital; Department of Colorectal Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center; Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University; Key Laboratory of Nutrition and Metabolism, Institute for Nutritional Sciences, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Med-X Institutes, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai; State Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, Cancer Institute and Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing; Cancer Institute, 2nd Hospital Affiliated to School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, PR China; Center for translational Biomedical Research, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, North Carolina Research Campus, Kannapolis, North Carolina; Department of Medical Oncology and Therapeutic Research, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte, California; and Cancer Epidemiology Program, University of Hawaii Cancer Center, Honolulu, Hawaii.
authors: Yunping
authors: Y
authors: Qiu
authors: Guoxiang
authors: G
authors: Cai
authors: Bingsen
authors: B
authors: Zhou
authors: Dan
authors: D
authors: Li
authors: Aihua
authors: A
authors: Zhao
authors: Guoxiang
authors: G
authors: Xie
authors: Houkai
authors: H
authors: Li
authors: Sanjun
authors: S
authors: Cai
authors: Dong
authors: D
authors: Xie
authors: Changzhi
authors: C
authors: Huang
authors: Weiting
authors: W
authors: Ge
authors: Zhanxiang
authors: Z
authors: Zhou
authors: Lisa X
authors: LX
authors: Xu
authors: Weiping
authors: W
authors: Jia
authors: Shu
authors: S
authors: Zheng
authors: Yun
authors: Y
authors: Yen
authors: Wei
authors: W
authors: Jia
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000628:therapy; D004734:Energy Metabolism / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling / Q000379:methods*; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008297:Male; D055442:Metabolome / Q000235:genetics; D055432:Metabolomics / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D011379:Prognosis; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D016896:Treatment Outcome