Meta-analysis of clinical metabolic profiling studies in cancer: challenges and opportunities.
Cancer cell metabolism has received increasing attention. Despite a boost in the application of clinical metabolic profiling (CMP) in cancer patients, a meta-analysis has not been performed. The primary goal of this study was to assess whether public accessibility of metabolomics data and identification and reporting of metabolites were sufficient to assess which metabolites were consistently altered in cancer patients. We therefore retrospectively curated data from CMP studies in cancer patients published during 5 recent years and used an established vote-counting method to perform a semiquantitative meta-analysis of metabolites in tumor tissue and blood. This analysis confirmed well-known increases in glycolytic metabolites, but also unveiled unprecedented changes in other metabolites such as ketone bodies and amino acids (histidine, tryptophan). However, this study also highlighted that insufficient public accessibility of metabolomics data, and inadequate metabolite identification and reporting hamper the discovery potential of meta-analyses of CMP studies, calling for improved standardization of metabolomics studies.
Laboratory of Angiogenesis and Vascular Metabolism, Department of Oncology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium Laboratory of Angiogenesis and Vascular Metabolism, Vesalius Research Center, VIB, Leuven, Belgium.
Jermaine
J
Goveia
Laboratory of Angiogenesis and Vascular Metabolism, Department of Oncology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium Laboratory of Angiogenesis and Vascular Metabolism, Vesalius Research Center, VIB, Leuven, Belgium.
Andreas
A
Pircher
Laboratory of Angiogenesis and Vascular Metabolism, Department of Oncology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium Laboratory of Angiogenesis and Vascular Metabolism, Vesalius Research Center, VIB, Leuven, Belgium.
Lena-Christin
LC
Conradi
Laboratory of Angiogenesis and Vascular Metabolism, Department of Oncology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium Laboratory of Angiogenesis and Vascular Metabolism, Vesalius Research Center, VIB, Leuven, Belgium.
Joanna
J
Kalucka
Computer Science Department, University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece.
Vincenzo
V
Lagani
Laboratory of Angiogenesis and Vascular Metabolism, Department of Oncology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium Laboratory of Angiogenesis and Vascular Metabolism, Vesalius Research Center, VIB, Leuven, Belgium.
Mieke
M
Dewerchin
Laboratory of Angiogenesis and Vascular Metabolism, Department of Oncology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium Laboratory of Angiogenesis and Vascular Metabolism, Vesalius Research Center, VIB, Leuven, Belgium.
Guy
G
Eelen
Children's Medical Center Research Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA.
Ralph J
RJ
DeBerardinis
Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College, London, UK.
Ian D
ID
Wilson
Laboratory of Angiogenesis and Vascular Metabolism, Department of Oncology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium Laboratory of Angiogenesis and Vascular Metabolism, Vesalius Research Center, VIB, Leuven, Belgium peter.carmeliet@vib-kuleuven.be.
Peter
0000-0001-7961-1821
P
Carmeliet
D006801:Humans; D055442:Metabolome; D055432:Metabolomics / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies
cancer; metabolic profiling; metabolomics; meta‐analysis