Assessment of Untargeted Metabolomics by Hydrophilic Interaction Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry to Define Breast Cancer Liquid Biopsy-Based Biomarkers in Plasma Samples

• Published in: International journal of molecular sciences Vol. 25; no. 10; p. 5098
• Main Authors: González Olmedo, Carmen, Díaz Beltrán, Leticia, Madrid García, Verónica, Palacios Ferrer, José Luis, Cano Jiménez, Alicia, Urbano Cubero, Rocío, Pérez Del Palacio, José, Díaz, Caridad, Vicente, Francisca, Sánchez Rovira, Pedro
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 07.05.2024
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Biological markers; Biomarkers; Biomarkers, Tumor - blood; Biopsy; Breast cancer; Breast Neoplasms - blood; Breast Neoplasms - diagnosis; Breast Neoplasms - metabolism; Breast Neoplasms - pathology; Canada; Cancer; Cancer therapies; Chromatography; Chromatography, Liquid - methods; Development and progression; Diagnosis; Disease; early diagnosis; Female; Humans; hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography; Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; liquid biopsy; Liquid Biopsy - methods; Liquid chromatography; Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; Mammography; Mass spectrometry; Mass Spectrometry - methods; Medical prognosis; Medical research; Medicine, Experimental; Metabolism; Metabolites; metabolomics; Metabolomics - methods; Middle Aged; Mortality; Plasma; Scientific imaging; Spain; Canada; Spain; early diagnosis; breast cancer; mass spectrometry; metabolomics; liquid biopsy; hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography
• ISSN: 1422-0067; 1661-6596; 1422-0067
• DOI: 10.3390/ijms25105098

An early diagnosis of cancer is fundamental not only in regard to reducing its mortality rate but also in terms of counteracting the progression of the tumor in the initial stages. Breast cancer (BC) is the most common tumor pathology in women and the second deathliest cancer worldwide, although its survival rate is increasing thanks to improvements in screening programs. However, the most common techniques to detect a breast tumor tend to be time-consuming, unspecific or invasive. Herein, the use of untargeted hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis appears as an analytical technique with potential use for the early detection of biomarkers in liquid biopsies from BC patients. In this research, plasma samples from 134 BC patients were compared with 136 from healthy controls (HC), and multivariate statistical analyses showed a clear separation between four BC phenotypes (LA, LB, HER2, and TN) and the HC group. As a result, we identified two candidate biomarkers that discriminated between the groups under study with a VIP > 1 and an AUC of 0.958. Thus, targeting the specific aberrant metabolic pathways in future studies may allow for better molecular stratification or early detection of the disease.