Abstract
We evaluated total plasma fatty acid concentrations and percentages, and the fatty acid profiles for the different plasma lipid fractions and red blood cell lipids, in 17 patients with untreated colorectal cancer and 12 age-matched controls with no malignant diseases, from the same geographical area. Cancer patients had significantly lower total plasma concentrations of saturated, monounsaturated and essential fatty acids and their polyunsaturated derivatives than healthy controls; when the values were expressed as relative percentages, cancer patients had significantly higher proportions of oleic acid and lower levels of linoleic acid than controls. With regard to lipid fractions, cancer patients had higher proportions of oleic acid in plasma phospholipids, triglycerides and cholesterol esters, and lower percentages of linoleic acid and its derivatives. On the other hand, alpha-linolenic acid was significantly lower in triglycerides from cancer patients and tended to be lower in phospholipids. Its derivatives also tended to be lower in phospholipids and triglycerides from cancer patients. Our findings suggest that colorectal cancer patients present abnormalities in plasma and red blood cell fatty acid profiles characterized by lower amounts of most saturated, monounsaturated and essential fatty acids and their polyunsaturated derivatives, especially members of the n-6 series, than their healthy age-matched counterparts. These changes are probably due to metabolic changes caused by the illness per se but not to malnutrition.
Highlights
We investigated the changes in fatty acids profiles of plasma, plasma lipid fractions and erythrocyte membranes in patients with colorectal cancer, and compared these results with the findings in control subjects with no malignant diseases
There were no major differences between the values in colorectal cancer patients and those in the controls
Malnutrition, usually associated with cancer, does not seem to be the cause of lower plasma fatty levels in our study group as no major differences were observed in anthropometric parameters and plasma albumin, prealbumin, total protein and transferrin in colorectal cancer patients compared with values for control patients with no malignant diseases
Summary
The cancer group consisted of 17 patients (11 men and six women), with a mean age of 63.1 (range 35-82) years, with untreated colorectal cancer. The control group comprised 12 individuals (eight men and four women) with a mean age of 63.3 (range 33-81) years, with no malignant diseases (five abdominal hernias, three cataracts, two haemorrhoids, one prostate adenoma, one cholelithiasis), from the same geographical area as the patients. All patients were admitted and evaluated by the Surgery Service of the Santa Ana Hospital (Motril, Granada province, Spain) as candidates for surgery for colorectal cancer (cancer group) and for minor surgery (control group). All patients gave their informed consent to take part in the study, which was approved by the ethical committee of the hospital and performed in accordance with the guidelines in the Helsinski Declaration
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