Lipid metabolites abnormally expressed in pelvic fluid as potential biomarkers for ovarian cancer: A case-control study

Background

Ovarian cancer is insidious and usually detected in advanced stages of the disease. As the ovaries are pelvic organs, changes in their pelvic fluid metabolites may be associated with ovarian cancer.

Methods

Metabolomic changes in the pelvic fluid were detected using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) in patients with ovarian cancer, ovarian cysts and uterine fibroids. Area under the curve (AUC) analysis was used to assess the diagnostic performance of lipid metabolites and blood tumor indices. The Pearson correlation algorithm was used to analyze the correlation between clinical characteristics and lipid metabolites in ovarian cancer patients.

Results

There were 24 lipid metabolites significantly changed in the pelvic fluid of ovarian cancer patients (p < 0.05). Palmitoylcarnitine, lipoamide, lipid metabolites, and blood tumor indices (CA15–3 and CA125) showed AUC > 0.8, with palmitoylcarnitine reaching a high of 0.942. In addition, we found that some lipid metabolites were significantly associated with the clinical stage, abdominal water volume, lymphatic metastasis, and recurrence (p < 0.05, r > 0.5).

Conclusion

Levels of specific lipid metabolites are potential biomarkers of ovarian cancer and may play a key role in the early diagnosis and prognostic assessment of ovarian cancer.

Significance

Our results showed that pelvic metabolites, especially some lipid metabolites, play an important role in the diagnosis of ovarian cancer. Meanwhile, partial lipid metabolites were closely associated with the clinical presentation and prognosis of patients with ovarian cancer. We believe that our study makes a significant contribution to the literature because it provides a potential approach that is more effective for ovarian cancer detection.