Background/Objectives: Colorectal cancer (CRC) represents one of the most prevalent forms of cancer, with high mortality rates. The aim of this study was to observe and understand the metabolic changes in CRC through targeted metabolomics. Methods: Samples collected from 58 CRC patients and 35 healthy individuals have been analyzed by liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), targeting two classes of metabolites: amino acids and acylcarnitines. Results: Statistical analysis revealed 26 significantly modified (p-value < 0.01; |FC| > 1.2) metabolites in CRC patients compared to the control group and 22 between colon cancer and control, whereas 8 metabolites differed only significantly between rectal cancer and healthy patients. Some of these significantly modified metabolites characterize cancer-specific adaptations, such as increased energy demand, increased tumor invasiveness, capabilities to promote amino acid synthesis, and tumor resistance against acute immune response. Moreover, receiver operator characteristic (ROC) analysis revealed that a set of two acylcarnitines (C6DC and C4-OH) can differentiate between CRC patients and healthy individuals with a high degree of confidence (AUC 0.837). Conclusions: By implementing a metabolomics approach targeting amino acids and acylcarnitines, several metabolic alterations induced by CRC have been highlighted. Even though these modifications are not specific enough to act as disease markers, they might prove useful for evaluating patient status.
背景/目的：结直肠癌（CRC）作为最常见的癌症类型之一，具有较高的死亡率。本研究旨在通过靶向代谢组学观察并理解结直肠癌中的代谢变化。方法：采用液相色谱-串联质谱法（LC-MS/MS）对58例结直肠癌患者和35例健康个体采集的样本进行分析，靶向检测两类代谢物：氨基酸和酰基肉碱。结果：统计分析显示，与对照组相比，结直肠癌患者中有26种代谢物发生显著改变（p值<0.01；|FC|>1.2），结肠癌与对照组间有22种代谢物存在显著差异，而直肠癌与健康患者间仅8种代谢物呈现显著差异。其中部分显著改变的代谢物体现了癌症特异性适应特征，如能量需求增加、肿瘤侵袭性增强、促进氨基酸合成能力提升以及肿瘤对急性免疫反应的抵抗能力。此外，受试者工作特征（ROC）分析表明，由两种酰基肉碱（C6DC和C4-OH）组成的组合指标能以较高置信度区分结直肠癌患者与健康个体（AUC值为0.837）。结论：通过实施针对氨基酸和酰基肉碱的代谢组学方法，本研究揭示了结直肠癌引发的多种代谢改变。尽管这些改变尚不足以作为特异性疾病标志物，但可能对评估患者状态具有重要参考价值。
肿瘤(癌症)患者之家