Discriminatory changes in circulating metabolites as a predictor of hepatocellular cancer in patients with MAFLD

Objectives:The burden of metabolic (dysfunction) associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is rising mirrored by an increase in hepatocellular cancer (HCC). MAFLD and its sequelae are characterised by perturbations in lipid handling, inflammation and mitochondrial damage. The profile of circulating lipid and small molecule metabolites with the development of HCC is poorly characterized in MAFLD and could be used in future studies as a biomarker for HCC.
Design:We assessed the profile of 273 lipid and small molecule metabolites by ultra ‐performance liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS) in serum from patients with MAFLD (n=113) and MAFLD-associated HCC (n = 144) from six different centres. Regression models were used to identify a predictive model of HCC using minimal circulating features.
R esults:Twenty lipid species and one metabolite, reflecting changes in mitochondrial function and sphingolipid metabolism, successfully predicted the presence of cancer on a background of MAFLD with high accuracy (AUC 0.789), which was enhanced with the addition of cirrhosis to the model (AUC 0.855). In particular, the presence of these metabolites was associated with cirrhosis in the MAFLD subgroup (p

Source: Liver Cancer - July 8, 2022 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: research