Exploring potential biomarkers for lung adenocarcinoma using LC-MS/MS metabolomics

BACKGROUND: The average 5-year survival rate of lung adenocarcinoma patients is only 15% to 17%, which is primarily due to late-stage diagnosis and a lack of specific prognostic evaluations that can recommend effective therapies. Additionally, there is no clinically recognized biomarker that is effective for early-stage diagnosis. METHODS: Tissue samples from 10 lung adenocarcinoma patients (both tumor and non-tumor tissues) and 10 benign lung tumor samples were collected. The significantly differentially represented metabolites from the three groups were analyzed by liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry. RESULTS: Pathway analysis indicated that central carbon metabolism was the top altered pathway in lung adenocarcinoma, while protein digestion and absorption, and central carbon metabolism were the top altered pathways in benign lung tumors. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis revealed that adenosine 3′-monophosphate, creatine, glycerol, and 14 other differential metabolites were potential sensitive and specific biomarkers for the diagnosis and prognosis of lung adenocarcinoma. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that the metabolomics approach may be a useful method to detect potential biomarkers in lung adenocarcinoma patients.