Effectiveness of Treatments That Alter Metabolomics in Cancer Patients-A Systematic Review
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Santiago Navarro Ledesma1,2, Dina Hamed-Hamed1, Ana González-Muñoz1
1Department of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, Campus of Melilla, University of Granada, Querol Street 5, 52004 Melilla, Spain.
Introduction:
Cancer is the leading cause of death worldwide, with the most frequent being breast cancer in women, prostate cancer in men and colon cancer in both sexes. The use of metabolomics to find new biomarkers can provide knowledge about possible interventions based on the presence of oncometabolites in different cancer types.
Objectives:
The primary purpose of this review is to analyze the characteristic metabolome of three of the most frequent cancer types. We further want to identify the existence and success rate of metabolomics-based intervention in patients suffering from those cancer types. Our conclusions are based on the analysis of the methodological quality of the studies.
Methods:
We searched for studies that investigated the metabolomic characteristics in patients suffering from breast cancer, prostate cancer or colon cancer in clinical trials. The data were analyzed, as well as the effects of specific interventions based on identified metabolomics and one or more oncometabolites. The used databases were PubMed, Virtual Health Library, Web of Science, EBSCO and Cochrane Library. Only nine studies met the selection criteria. Study bias was analyzed using the Cochrane risk of bias tool. This systematic review protocol was registered at the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO: CRD42023401474).
Results:
Only nine studies about clinical trials were included in this review and show a moderate quality of evidence. Metabolomics-based interventions related with disease outcome were conflictive with no or small changes in the metabolic characteristics of the different cancer types.
Conclusions:
This systematic review shows some interesting results related with metabolomics-based interventions and their effects on changes in certain cancer oncometabolites. The small number of studies we identified which fulfilled our inclusion criteria in this systematic review does not allow us to draw definitive conclusions. Nevertheless, some results can be considered as promising although further research is needed. That research must focus not only on the presence of possible oncometabolites but also on possible metabolomics-based interventions and their influence on the outcome in patients suffering from breast cancer, prostate cancer or colon cancer.
Insights
This review found limited evidence on metabolomics-based interventions for breast, prostate, and colon cancers. While some results are promising, more research is needed to confirm the effectiveness of these oncometabolite interventions.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Metabolomics
- Biomarker Discovery
Background:
- Cancer remains a leading global cause of death, with breast, prostate, and colon cancers being highly prevalent.
- Metabolomics offers a pathway to identify novel biomarkers and potential interventions by analyzing oncometabolites.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review metabolomic characteristics of common cancers (breast, prostate, colon).
- To assess the efficacy and success rate of metabolomics-based interventions in these cancer patients.
- To evaluate the methodological quality of included studies.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review of clinical trials investigating metabolomic profiles in breast, prostate, and colon cancer patients.
- Analysis of interventions targeting identified metabolomics and oncometabolites.
- Searches across major databases (PubMed, vHL, Web of Science, EBSCO, Cochrane).
- Quality assessment using the Cochrane risk of bias tool.
Main Results:
- Only nine studies met the inclusion criteria, indicating a moderate quality of evidence.
- Metabolomics-based interventions showed conflicting results, with minimal or no significant changes in cancer metabolic profiles.
- The limited number of studies restricts definitive conclusions.
Conclusions:
- Metabolomics-based interventions show potential but require further investigation.
- Future research should focus on identifying oncometabolites and evaluating interventions' impact on patient outcomes.
- More robust clinical trials are necessary to establish definitive conclusions for breast, prostate, and colon cancer treatment.
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