Urinary fluorescent metabolite O-aminohippuric acid is a useful biomarker for lung cancer detection

Metabolic biomarkers in lung cancer screening and early diagnosis (Review)

Late diagnosis is one of the major contributing factors to the high mortality rate of lung cancer, which is now the leading cause of cancer-associated mortality worldwide. At present, low-dose CT (LDCT) screening in the high-risk population, in which lung cancer incidence is higher than that of the low-risk population is the predominant diagnostic strategy. Although this has efficiently reduced lung cancer mortality in large randomized trials, LDCT screening has high false-positive rates, resulting in excessive subsequent follow-up procedures and radiation exposure. Complementation of LDCT examination with biofluid-based biomarkers has been documented to increase efficacy, and this type of preliminary screening can potentially reduce potential radioactive damage to low-risk populations and the burden of hospital resources. Several molecular signatures based on components of the biofluid metabolome that can possibly discriminate patients with lung cancer from healthy individuals have been proposed over the past two decades. In the present review, advancements in currently available technologies in metabolomics were reviewed, with particular focus on their possible application in lung cancer screening and early detection.

Urine biomarkers in cancer detection: A systematic review of preanalytical parameters and applied methods

The aim of this review was to explore the status of urine sampling as a liquid biopsy for noninvasive cancer research by reviewing used preanalytical parameters and protocols. We searched two main health sciences databases, PubMed and Web of Science. From all eligible publications (2010-2022), information was extracted regarding: (a) study population characteristics, (b) cancer type, (c) urine preanalytics, (d) analyte class, (e) isolation method, (f) detection method, (g) comparator used, (h) biomarker type, (i) conclusion and (j) sensitivity and specificity. The search query identified 7835 records, of which 924 unique publications remained after screening the title, abstract and full text. Our analysis demonstrated that many publications did not report information about the preanalytical parameters of their urine samples, even though several other studies have shown the importance of standardization of sample handling. Interestingly, it was noted that urine is used for many cancer types and not just cancers originating from the urogenital tract. Many different types of relevant analytes have been shown to be found in urine. Additionally, future considerations and recommendations are discussed: (a) the heterogeneous nature of urine, (b) the need for standardized practice protocols and (c) the road toward the clinic. Urine is an emerging liquid biopsy with broad applicability in different analytes and several cancer types. However, standard practice protocols for sample handling and processing would help to elaborate the clinical utility of urine in cancer research, detection and disease monitoring.

Acyl-CoA Binding Domain Containing 4 Polymorphism rs4986172 and Expression Can Serve as Overall Survival Biomarkers for Hepatitis B Virus-Related Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients After Hepatectomy

Background

The aim of our study was to evaluate the potential of expression and single nucleotide polymorphism of Acyl-CoA binding domain containing 4 (ACBD4) gene as prognosis biomarkers in patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after hepatectomy.

Methods

HBV-related HCC patients from the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University and GSE14520 were included in the current study, as well as The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) HCC verification cohort. Prognostic analysis and multiple functional enrichment analysis methods were used to evaluate the prognostic value and potential biological functions of the ACBD4 gene in HBV-related HCC.

Results

We found that ACBD4 gene is highly expressed in normal liver tissues and markedly down-regulated in HBV-related HCC tissues. ACBD4 gene was significantly related to overall survival (OS) of HCC in TCGA and GSE14520 cohorts, and patients with low ACBD4 expression were markedly related to poor OS. Rs4986172 was observed as an OS biomarker after hepatectomy in the Guangxi HBV-related HCC cohort. The OS of rs4986172 GG genotype was worse than that of HCC patients with A allele (AA and AG genotypes). Multifunctional enrichment analysis suggested that ACBD4 gene is closely related to the metabolic, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor and cytochrome P450 pathway. Through connectivity map, we also identified eight compounds that may be used as targeted therapeutic agents for ACBD4 gene in HBV-related HCC; these compounds were scopoletin, alfaxalone, bephenium hydroxynaphthoate, apramycin, 4,5-dianilinophthalimide, DL-thiorphan, aminohippuric acid and quinidine. Immune microenvironment analysis revealed that there were significant differences in immune scores of HBV-related HCC tumor tissues with different ACBD4 expression levels.

Conclusion

Our study reveals that ACBD4 expression and rs4986172 can be serve as biomarkers of OS in HBV-related HCC patients after hepatectomy.

Strong Dependence between Tryptophan-Related Fluorescence of Urine and Malignant Melanoma

Urine autofluorescence at 295 nm is significantly higher in patients with malignant melanoma at each clinical stage compared to the healthy group. The largest difference is in the early-stages and without metastases. With increasing stage, the autofluorescence at 295 nm decreases. There is also a significant negative correlation between autofluorescence and Clark classification. Based on our results, it is assumed that the way malignant melanoma grows also affects urinary autofluorescence.