This study aimed to investigate the association between metabolic lipid computed tomography (CT) features and adipose differentiation-related protein (ADFP) expression in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), providing insights into non-invasive methods for assessing ADFP expression and tumor characteristics. This study utilized data from The Cancer Genome Atlas and the Cancer Imaging Archive to analyze genetic alterations and imaging characteristics in ccRCC patients. Tumoral Hounsfield units (HU) analysis and quantification of abdominal adipose tissue compartments were performed using CT images. Statistical analyses were conducted to compare tumoral HU values according to ADFP gene expression and World Health Organization/International Society of Urological Pathology (WHO/ISUP) tumor grade, as well as to explore correlations between tumoral HU values and adipose tissue quantification. Among the 174 identified patients, those with ADFP gene expression showed significantly lower minimum tumoral HU values in low-grade cancers compared to high-grade cancers. Similarly, patients with low-grade cancers expressing ADFP exhibited lower minimum tumoral HU values compared to those without ADFP expression. Negative correlations were observed between minimum tumoral HU values and visceral adipose tissue, subcutaneous adipose tissue, and total adipose tissue in both ccRCC patients with and without ADFP expression. This study reveals a significant association between metabolic lipid CT features and ADFP expression in ccRCC patients. Lower minimum tumoral HU values, suggestive of higher intracellular lipid accumulation, were observed in tumors with low WHO/ISUP grade and ADFP expression.
本研究旨在探讨透明细胞肾细胞癌（ccRCC）中代谢性脂质计算机断层扫描（CT）特征与脂肪分化相关蛋白（ADFP）表达之间的关联，为评估ADFP表达及肿瘤特征提供非侵入性方法的理论依据。研究利用癌症基因组图谱和癌症影像档案库的数据，分析ccRCC患者的基因变异与影像学特征。通过CT图像进行肿瘤亨氏单位（HU）分析及腹部脂肪组织分区量化，并开展统计学分析以比较不同ADFP基因表达水平及世界卫生组织/国际泌尿病理学会（WHO/ISUP）肿瘤分级下的肿瘤HU值差异，同时探究肿瘤HU值与脂肪组织量化指标的相关性。在纳入的174例患者中，ADFP基因表达阳性的低级别肿瘤患者其肿瘤最低HU值显著低于高级别肿瘤患者。同样，在低级别肿瘤患者中，ADFP表达阳性者的肿瘤最低HU值低于ADFP表达阴性者。无论ADFP表达状态如何，ccRCC患者的肿瘤最低HU值与内脏脂肪组织、皮下脂肪组织及总脂肪组织量均呈负相关。本研究揭示了ccRCC患者代谢性脂质CT特征与ADFP表达之间的显著关联。在低WHO/ISUP分级且ADFP表达阳性的肿瘤中观察到更低的肿瘤最低HU值，提示其可能存在更高程度的细胞内脂质蓄积。
肿瘤(癌症)患者之家