Preliminary Metabolomics Study Suggests Favorable Metabolic Changes in the Plasma of Breast Cancer Patients after Surgery and Adjuvant Treatment
Andrea Jiménez-Franco,
Juan Manuel Jiménez-Aguilar,
Marta Canela-Capdevila,
Raquel García-Pablo,
Helena Castañé,
Cristian Martínez-Navidad,
Pablo Araguas,
Bárbara Malavé,
Rocío Benavides-Villarreal,
Johana C. Acosta,
Alina Iuliana Onoiu,
Navita Somaiah,
Jordi Camps,
Jorge Joven,
Meritxell Arenas
Affiliations
Andrea Jiménez-Franco
Unitat de Recerca Biomèdica, Hospital Universitari Sant Joan de Reus, Institut d’Investigació Sanitària Pere Virgili, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Av. Dr. Josep Laporte 2, 43204 Reus, Spain
Juan Manuel Jiménez-Aguilar
Unitat de Recerca Biomèdica, Hospital Universitari Sant Joan de Reus, Institut d’Investigació Sanitària Pere Virgili, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Av. Dr. Josep Laporte 2, 43204 Reus, Spain
Marta Canela-Capdevila
Unitat de Recerca Biomèdica, Hospital Universitari Sant Joan de Reus, Institut d’Investigació Sanitària Pere Virgili, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Av. Dr. Josep Laporte 2, 43204 Reus, Spain
Raquel García-Pablo
Unitat de Recerca Biomèdica, Hospital Universitari Sant Joan de Reus, Institut d’Investigació Sanitària Pere Virgili, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Av. Dr. Josep Laporte 2, 43204 Reus, Spain
Helena Castañé
Unitat de Recerca Biomèdica, Hospital Universitari Sant Joan de Reus, Institut d’Investigació Sanitària Pere Virgili, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Av. Dr. Josep Laporte 2, 43204 Reus, Spain
Cristian Martínez-Navidad
Unitat de Recerca Biomèdica, Hospital Universitari Sant Joan de Reus, Institut d’Investigació Sanitària Pere Virgili, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Av. Dr. Josep Laporte 2, 43204 Reus, Spain
Pablo Araguas
Department of Radiation Oncology, Hospital Universitari Sant Joan de Reus, Institut d’Investigació Sanitària Pere Virgili, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Av. Dr. Josep Laporte 2, 43204 Reus, Spain
Bárbara Malavé
Department of Radiation Oncology, Hospital Universitari Sant Joan de Reus, Institut d’Investigació Sanitària Pere Virgili, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Av. Dr. Josep Laporte 2, 43204 Reus, Spain
Rocío Benavides-Villarreal
Unitat de Recerca Biomèdica, Hospital Universitari Sant Joan de Reus, Institut d’Investigació Sanitària Pere Virgili, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Av. Dr. Josep Laporte 2, 43204 Reus, Spain
Johana C. Acosta
Unitat de Recerca Biomèdica, Hospital Universitari Sant Joan de Reus, Institut d’Investigació Sanitària Pere Virgili, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Av. Dr. Josep Laporte 2, 43204 Reus, Spain
Alina Iuliana Onoiu
Unitat de Recerca Biomèdica, Hospital Universitari Sant Joan de Reus, Institut d’Investigació Sanitària Pere Virgili, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Av. Dr. Josep Laporte 2, 43204 Reus, Spain
Navita Somaiah
The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust and Division of Radiotherapy and Imaging, Institute of Cancer Research, 131-139 Dovehouse St, London SW3 6JZ, UK
Jordi Camps
Unitat de Recerca Biomèdica, Hospital Universitari Sant Joan de Reus, Institut d’Investigació Sanitària Pere Virgili, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Av. Dr. Josep Laporte 2, 43204 Reus, Spain
Jorge Joven
Unitat de Recerca Biomèdica, Hospital Universitari Sant Joan de Reus, Institut d’Investigació Sanitària Pere Virgili, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Av. Dr. Josep Laporte 2, 43204 Reus, Spain
Meritxell Arenas
Unitat de Recerca Biomèdica, Hospital Universitari Sant Joan de Reus, Institut d’Investigació Sanitària Pere Virgili, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Av. Dr. Josep Laporte 2, 43204 Reus, Spain
Background/Objectives: The management of early breast cancer (BC) includes surgery, followed by adjuvant radiotherapy, chemotherapy, hormone therapy, or immunotherapy. However, the influence of these interventions in metabolic reprogramming remains unknown. This study explored alterations in the plasma metabolome of BC patients following distinct treatments to deepen our understanding of BC pathophysiology, outcomes, and the identification of potential biomarkers. Methods: We included 52 women diagnosed with BC and candidates for surgery as primary oncological treatment. Blood samples were collected at diagnosis, two weeks post-surgery, and one month post-radiotherapy. Plasma samples from 49 healthy women served as controls. Targeted metabolomics assessed 74 metabolites spanning carbohydrates, amino acids, lipids, nucleotide pathways, energy metabolism, and xenobiotic biodegradation. Results: Before treatment, the BC patients exhibited notable changes in carbohydrate, nucleotide, lipid, and amino acid metabolism. We noticed a gradual restoration of specific metabolite levels (hypoxanthine, 3-phosphoglyceric acid, xylonic acid, and maltose) throughout different treatments, suggesting a normalization of the nucleotide and carbohydrate metabolic pathways. Moreover, we observed increased dodecanoic acid concentrations, a metabolite associated with cancer protection. These variations distinguished patients from controls with high specificity and sensitivity. Conclusions: Our preliminary study suggests that oncological treatments modify the metabolism of patients towards a favorable profile with a decrease in the pathways that favor cell proliferation and an increase in the levels of anticancer molecules. These findings emphasize the pivotal role of metabolomics in recognizing the biological pathways influenced by each cancer treatment and the resulting metabolic consequences. Furthermore, it aids in identifying potential biomarkers for disease onset and progression.