Abstract
Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a devastating cancer disease characterized by its poor prognosis, distinct metastatic patterns, and aggressive biological behavior. Research indicates that the prevalence and presentation of TNBC varies among races, with Asian TNBC patients more commonly presenting with large invasive tumors, high node positivity, and high histologic grade. In this work, we applied ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC-HRMS)-based metabolomics to discover metabolic signatures in Asian female TNBC patients. Serum samples from 31 TNBC patients and 31 healthy controls (CN) were involved in this study. A total of 2860 metabolic features were detected in the serum samples. Among them, 77 metabolites, whose levels were significantly different between TNBC with CN, were confirmed. Using multivariate statistical analysis, literature mining, metabolic network and pathway analysis, we performed an in-depth study of the metabolic alterations in the Asian TNBC population. In addition, we discovered a panel of metabolic signatures that are highly correlated with the 5-year survival rate of the TNBC patients. This metabolomic study provides a better understanding of the metabolic details of TNBC in the Asian population.
Highlights
Among women, breast cancer (BC) is the most common type of cancer and the 2nd leading cause of death worldwide[1]
The study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki, and the protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of Chongqing Cancer Hospital
All experiments were performed in strict compliance with the requirements of the Human Ethics Procedures and Guidelines of the People’s Republic of China
Summary
Breast cancer (BC) is the most common type of cancer and the 2nd leading cause of death worldwide[1]. Women with TNBC have a high frequency of metastasis to the lung, liver and brain, and survival is generally poor. Another troubling feature associated with the disease is the disparity of presentation and survival compared with other ethnicities[4,5,6,7,8,9]. Comparing to the reported BC metabolomics studies, we identified some consistent metabolic changes as well as some unique metabolic changes in Asian female TNBC patients. This work presents the first metabolomics study of TNBC in Asian population, serving for a better mechanistic understanding of disease progression and prognosis
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
