abstract
The knowledge that the organism's metabolome is a potentially informative mirror of the impact of disease and its dynamics has led to promising developments in cancer research, strongly geared toward the discovery of new biomarkers of disease onset and progression. The present text reviews the advances made in the last 10 years in lung cancer research making use of the metabolomics strategies, particularly concerning metabolite profiling of human biofluids (blood serum and plasma, urine and others), expected to reflect the deviant metabolic behavior of lung tumors. The main goal of this article is to provide the reader with an up-to-date summary of the main metabolic variations taking place in biofluids, in relation to lung cancer, as well as of the analytical strategies employed to unveil them. Furthermore, particular needs and challenges are identified and possible developments envisaged.
keywords
MASS-SPECTROMETRY; NMR-SPECTROSCOPY; EXHALED BREATH; BLOOD-PLASMA; BIOMARKERS; METABONOMICS; SERUM; CHROMATOGRAPHY; SIGNATURES; MORTALITY
subject category
Pathology
authors
Duarte, IF; Rocha, CM; Gil, AM
our authors
Ana Maria Pissarra Coelho Gil
Associate Professor with Aggregation
Iola Melissa Fernandes Duarte
Principal Researcheracknowledgements
Funding is acknowledged from the European Regional Development Fund through the Competitive Factors Thematic Operational Programme and from the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), Portugal (PEst-C/CTM/LA0011/2013). CMR acknowledges FCT for the grant SFRH/BD/63430/2009, and IFD acknowledges Liga Portuguesa Contra o Cancro (LPCC) and CIMAGO (Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra). The Portuguese National NMR Network (RNRMN), supported with FCT funds, is also acknowledged. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.