DOI: 10.1158/2767-9764.crc-23-0138 ISSN:

Serum free fatty acid changes caused by high expression of Stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 in tumor tissues are early diagnostic markers for ovarian cancer

Kanoko Katoh, Yuki Katoh, Akiko Kubo, Miho Iida, Yuji Ikeda, Takashi Iwata, Hiroshi Nishio, Masaki Sugawara, Daiki Kato, Makoto Suematsu, Shuichi Hirai, Kei Kawana

Abstract

Ovarian cancer has a poor prognosis and is difficult to detect in early stages. Therefore, developing new diagnostic markers for early-stage ovarian cancer is critical. Here, we developed a diagnostic marker for early-stage ovarian cancer on the basis of fatty acid metabolism characteristics of cancer cells. The expression of various fatty acid metabolizing enzymes such as stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 (SCD1) was altered in early-stage ovarian cancer tissue compared with that in normal ovarian tissue. Changes in the expression of fatty acid metabolizing enzymes, particularly SCD1, in cancer tissues were found to alter concentrations of multiple free fatty acids (FFAs) in serum. We were the first to show that fatty acid metabolic characteristics in tissues are related to the FFA composition of serum. Surprisingly, stage I/II ovarian cancer patients also showed significant changes in serum levels of eight FFAs, which can be early diagnostic markers. Finally, using statistical analysis, an optimal early diagnostic model combining oleic and arachidic acid levels, fatty acids associated with SCD1, was established and confirmed to have higher diagnostic power than CA125, regardless of histology. Thus, our newly developed diagnostic model using serum FFAs may be a powerful tool for the non-invasive early detection of ovarian cancer.

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