For information on accessing Faculty of Health Sciences content please contact Khosi Mathole via email :
nkosazana.mathole@wits.ac.za or Tel (W) : 011 717 2277
Browse
Browsing Faculty of Health Sciences by Keyword "Adenocarcinoma"
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a lethal cancer with a characteristic dysregulated
metabolism. Abnormal clinicopathological features linked to defective metabolic and
inflammatory response pathways can induce PDAC development and progression. In this study, we
investigated the metabolites and lipoproteins profiles of PDAC patients of African ancestry. Nuclear
Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy was conducted on serum obtained from consenting individuals
(34 PDAC, 6 Chronic Pancreatitis, and 6 healthy participants). Seventy-five signals were
quantified from each NMR spectrum. The Liposcale test was used for lipoprotein characterization.
Spearman’s correlation and Kapan Meier tests were conducted for correlation and survival analyses,
respectively. In our patient cohort, the results demonstrated that levels of metabolites involved in the glycolytic pathway increased with the tumour stage. Raised ethanol and 3-hydroxybutyrate were independently correlated with a shorter patient survival time, irrespective of tumour stage.
Furthermore, increased levels of bilirubin resulted in an abnormal lipoprotein profile in PDAC patients.
Additionally, we observed that the levels of a panel of metabolites (such as glucose and lactate) and lipoproteins correlated with those of inflammatory markers. Taken together, the metabolic phenotype can help distinguish PDAC severity and be used to predict patient survival and inform treatment intervention.