Staging of colorectal cancer using serum metabolomics with (1)HNMR Spectroscopy.

OBJECTIVES: Determination of stages of colon cancer is done by biopsy usually after surgery. Metabolomics is the study of all the metabolites using LC-MS and (1)HNMR spectroscopy with chemometric techniques. The stages of colon cancer were detected from patients' sera using (1)HNMR.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Five ml blood was collected from 16 confirmed patients referred for colonoscopy. One group of eight patients were diagnosed with stage 0 to I colon cancer and the second group of 8 patients with II-IV stage colon cancer. Sera were sent for (1)HNMR. The differentiating metabolites were identified using HMDB and the metabolic cycles from Metaboanalyst.

RESULTS: Six metabolites of which pyridoxine levels lowered, and glycine, cholesterol, taurocholic acid, cholesteryl ester and deoxyinosine increased.

CONCLUSION: The different stages of cancer were identified by the main metabolic cycles such as primary bile acid biosynthesis, purine and vitamin B metabolic pathways and the glutathione cycle.