Triple Negative Breast Cancer Detection Using LC-MS/MS Lipidomic Profiling.

Area of Science:

• Biochemistry
• Oncology
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive subtype with poor prognosis and high metastasis rates.
• Current diagnostic methods for early-stage TNBC (ES-TNBC) lack sufficient sensitivity and specificity.
• There is a critical need for improved diagnostic tools to detect ES-TNBC effectively.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate diagnostic biomarker panels for TNBC and ES-TNBC detection.
• To identify specific lipid biomarkers associated with TNBC using advanced mass spectrometry.
• To assess the diagnostic performance of the proposed lipid panels.

Main Methods:

• Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was used for targeted lipid detection.
• 110 lipids were quantified in plasma samples from 121 breast cancer patients (25 TNBC) and 45 controls.
• Univariate, multivariate analyses, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were employed for panel construction and performance evaluation.

Main Results:

• A 19-lipid panel distinguished TNBC/ES-TNBC from controls with high accuracy (AUROC up to 0.96).
• A 5-lipid panel differentiated TNBC from non-TNBC (AUROC 0.88) and ES-TNBC from ES-non-TNBC (AUROC 0.95).
• Significant metabolic pathway disturbances in choline, sphingolipid, and glycerophospholipid metabolism were observed in TNBC.

Conclusions:

• The study proposes the first diagnostic lipid biomarker panels for TNBC detection.
• These panels demonstrate significant potential for sensitive and specific early diagnosis of TNBC.
• Findings highlight the role of lipid metabolism alterations in TNBC pathogenesis.