PR002373 (Project)

Description:Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most prevalent cancers worldwide. Even though the screening programs have decreased the incidence rates, the prognosis for CRC varies depending on the stage at the diagnosis. Thus, early diagnosis is still a big challenge due to screening methods, and subsequent diagnosis are not very sensitive. In this work, LC-MS based metabolomics, a powerful and sensitive tool to study complex dynamic changes, was used to analyse 211 human fecal samples from control individuals (CTRL), adenoma (AA), and CRC patients. Multivariate and univariate statistical analysis highlighted cholesteryl esters (CE) and fecal haemoglobin, quantified by fecal immunochemical test (FIT), as relevant biomarkers that clearly differentiate CRC from AA and CTRL. This study revealed that AA group is a transitionary stage with a high heterogeneity. The increased tendency observed in CEs from CTRL to CRC might be related with the imbalance of cholesterol homeostasis due to cancer cells requiring high cholesterol level for cell development and proliferation. The free cholesterol is probably obtained from CEs as it is the most effective way to obtain the needed cholesterol.