Journal Article

Lipid biomarkers that reflect postoperative recurrence risk in lung cancer patients who smoke: a case–control study

Kitamoto, Takuya, Sekihara, Keigo, Kawase, Akikazu, Takanashi, Yusuke, Setou, Mitsutoshi, Sugimura, Haruhiko, Kahyo, Tomoaki, Shiiya, Norihiko, Hayakawa, Takamitsu, Funai, Kazuhito, Sato, Tomohito, Kondo, Minako, Takahashi, Yutaka

2023

Overview

Background The risk of postoperative recurrence is higher in lung cancer patients who smoke than non-smokers. However, objective evaluation of the postoperative recurrence risk is difficult using conventional pathological prognostic factors because of their lack of reproducibility. Consequently, novel objective biomarkers that reflect postoperative risk in lung cancer patients who smoke must be identified. Because cigarette smoking and oncogenesis alter lipid metabolism in lung tissue, we hypothesized that the lipid profiles in lung cancer tissues are influenced by cigarette smoking and can reflect the postoperative recurrence risk in smoking lung cancer patients. This study aimed to identify lipid biomarkers that reflect the smoking status and the postoperative recurrence risk. Methods Primary tumor tissues of lung adenocarcinoma (ADC) ( n  = 26) and squamous cell carcinoma (SQCC) ( n  = 18) obtained from surgery were assigned to subgroups according to the patient’s smoking status. The ADC cohort was divided into never smoker and smoker groups, while the SQCC cohort was divided into moderate smoker and heavy smoker groups. Extracted lipids from the tumor tissues were subjected to liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analysis. Lipids that were influenced by smoking status and reflected postoperative recurrence and pathological prognostic factors were screened. Results Two and 12 lipid peaks in the ADC and SQCC cohorts showed a significant positive correlation with the Brinkman index, respectively. Among them, in the ADC cohort, a higher lipid level consisted of three phosphatidylcholine (PC) isomers, PC (14:0_18:2), PC (16:1_16:1), and PC (16:0_16:2), was associated with a shorter recurrence free period (RFP) and a greater likelihoods of progressed T-factor (≥ pT2) and pleural invasion. In the SQCC cohort, a lower m/z 736.5276 level was associated with shorter RFP and greater likelihood of recurrence. Conclusions From our data, we propose three PC isomers, PC (14:0_18:2), PC (16:1_16:1), and PC (16:0_16:2), and a lipid peak of m/z 736.5276 as novel candidate biomarkers for postoperative recurrence risk in lung ADC and SQCC patients who are smokers.

• Publisher: BioMed Central,BioMed Central Ltd,Springer Nature B.V,BMC
• Subject: Adenocarcinoma / Adenocarcinoma of Lung / Antigens / Biological markers / Biomarkers / Biomarkers, Tumor - analysis / Biomedical and Life Sciences / Blood lipids / Blood vessels / Cancer / Carcinoma, Squamous Cell - pathology / Care and treatment / Case-Control Studies / Cigarette smoking / Cigarettes / Clinical Nutrition / Cytokeratin / Demographic aspects / Genotype & phenotype / Health aspects / Humans / Identification and classification / Isomers / Lecithin / Life Sciences / Lipid biomarker / Lipid metabolism / Lipidology / Lipids / Liquid chromatography / Lung cancer / Lung Neoplasms - etiology / Lung Neoplasms - surgery / Lymphatic system / Mass spectrometry / Mass spectroscopy / Medical Biochemistry / Medical prognosis / Metabolism / Metastasis / Patient outcomes / Patients / Phosphatidylcholine / Recurrence risk / Relapse / Reproducibility of Results / Role of lipids and lipid metabolism in cancer / Scientific imaging / Smoking / Smoking - adverse effects / Software / Squamous cell carcinoma / Surfactants / Surgery / Tomography / Tumorigenesis / Tumors