Postoperative Metabolic Phenoreversion in Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma

The ultimate goal of surgical treatment in cancer is
to remove
the tumor mass for restoring a healthy state. A 16-lipid panel that
discriminated healthy controls from clear cell renal cell carcinoma
(ccRCC) patients in a prior study was evaluated in the present work
in paired-serum samples collected from patients (n = 41) before and after nephrectomy. Changes in the lipid and metabolite
fingerprints from ccRCC patients were investigated and compared with
fingerprints from healthy individuals obtained by means of ultra-performance
liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry. The lipid
panel differentiated phenotypes associated with metabolic restoration
after surgery, representing a serum signature of phenoreversion to
a healthy metabolic state. In particular, PC 16:0/0:0, PC 18:2/18:2,
and linoleic acid allowed discriminating serum samples from ccRCC
patients with poor prognosis from those with an improved outcome during
the follow-up period. Ratios of PC 16:0/0:0 and PC 18:2/18:2 with
linoleic acid levels may contribute as prognostic tools to support
decision-making during the patient follow-up care. The preliminary
character of these results should be validated with larger cohorts,
including subjects with different ethnicities, life style, and diets.
MetaboLights study references: MTBLS1839, MTBLS3838, and MTBLS4629.