Table 1.
Summary of biofluid metabolomic biomarkers for screening and early diagnosis in cancer.
| Metabolite | Sample | Diseases | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glucose metabolism | |||
| Glucose | Serum/plasma | ↑: Kidney cancer | (16) |
| ↓: Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma | (17) | ||
| Urine | ↓: Prostate cancer | (18) | |
| Pyruvate | Serum/plasma | ↑: Esophageal cancer, non-small cell lung cancer | (19, 20) |
| Urine | ↑: Prostate cancer | (18) | |
| Lactic acid | Serum/plasma | ↑: Osteosarcoma | (21) |
| ↓: Kidney cancer | (16) | ||
| Urine | ↑: Prostate cancer, renal cell carcinoma | (22, 23) | |
| Myoinositol | Serum/plasma | ↑: Prostate cancer | (24) |
| ↓: Kidney cancer, lung cancer | (16, 25) | ||
| Urine | ↑: Renal cell carcinoma, pancreatic cancer | (22, 26) | |
| Amino acid metabolism | |||
| Glutamic acid | Serum/plasma | ↑: Hepatocellular carcinoma, osteosarcoma, pancreatic cancer, small cell lung cancer, kidney cancer, esophageal squamous cell carcinoma | (21, 27–31) |
| ↓: Pancreatic cancer, prostate cancer, colorectal cancer, epithelial ovarian cancer | (23, 32–34) | ||
| Urine | ↑: Renal cell carcinoma, | (22) | |
| Glutamine | Serum/plasma | ↑: Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, prostate cancer, epithelial ovarian cancer | (23, 31, 33) |
| ↓: Lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, pan-cancer | (32, 35, 36) | ||
| Leucine | Serum/plasma | ↓: Kidney cancer, small cell lung cancer | (16, 29) |
| Urine | ↑: Prostate cancer | (18, 37) | |
| Saliva | ↓: Oral squamous cell carcinoma | (38) | |
| Isoleucine | Serum/plasma | ↓: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma | (39) |
| Urine | ↑: Prostate cancer, gastric cancer | (37, 40) | |
| Valine | Urine | ↑: Prostate cancer | (18) |
| Saliva | ↓: Lung cancer, thyroid cancer | (41, 42) | |
| Tryptophan | Serum/plasma | ↑: Non-small cell lung cancer, colorectal cancer | (19, 43, 44) |
| ↓: Pancreatic cancer, bladder cancer | (32, 45) | ||
| Saliva | ↓: Lung cancer | (46) | |
| Glycine | Serum/plasma | ↓: Kidney cancer, endometrial cancer, esophageal cancer | (16, 47, 48) |
| Urine | ↓: Esophageal cancer | (48) | |
| Serine | Serum/plasma | ↑: Lung cancer, prostate cancer | (24, 35) |
| ↓: Endometrial cancer | (47) | ||
| Urine | ↑: Gastric cancer | (40) | |
| Saliva | ↓: Lung cancer | (41) | |
| Methionine | Serum/plasma | ↑: Epithelial ovarian cancer, non-small cell lung cancer | (19, 33) |
| ↓: Small cell lung cancer | (29) | ||
| Saliva | ↑: Oral squamous cell carcinoma | (38) | |
| Cysteine | Serum/plasma | ↑: Lung adenocarcinoma, gastric cancer, oral squamous cell carcinoma | (49–51) |
| Proline | Serum/plasma | ↑: Lung cancer, pan-cancer | (36, 52) |
| ↓: Hepatocellular carcinoma, pancreatic cancer | (27, 53) | ||
| Saliva | ↓: Thyroid cancer, lung cancer | (41, 42) | |
| Phenylalanine | Serum/plasma | ↑: Non-small cell lung cancer, lung cancer | (54–56) |
| ↓: Pancreatic cancer | (32) | ||
| Phenylalanine | Saliva | ↓: Thyroid cancer | (42) |
| Tyrosine | Serum/plasma | ↑: Hepatocellular carcinoma, non-small cell lung cancer | (19, 57) |
| Saliva | ↓: Lung cancer | (46) | |
| Nucleotide metabolism | |||
| Hypoxanthine | Serum/plasma | ↑: Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, breast cancer | (31, 58) |
| ↓: Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma | (59) | ||
| Inosine | Plasma | ↓: Pancreatic cancer, esophageal squamous cell carcinoma | (59, 60) |
| Saliva | ↑: Oral squamous cell carcinoma | (38) | |
| Uracil | Serum | ↑: Lung adenocarcinoma | (49) |
| ↓: Breast cancer | (61) | ||
| Saliva | ↑: Oral squamous cell carcinoma, lung cancer | (38, 41) | |
| Lipid metabolism | |||
| Palmitic acid | Serum/plasma | ↑: Non-small cell lung cancer, pancreatic cancer | (19, 53) |
| ↓: Lung cancer, gastric cancer | (62, 63) | ||
| Linoleic acid | Serum/plasma | ↓: Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, colorectal cancer, gastric cancer | (31, 44, 63) |
| Phosphatidylcholines | Serum/plasma | ↑: Hepatocellular carcinoma | (64) |
| ↓: Lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma | (28, 64, 65) | ||
| Pleural effusion | ↓: Lung cancer | (66) | |
| Lysophosphatidylcholines | Serum/plasma | ↑: Colorectal cancer | (44) |
| ↓: Pancreatic cancer, gastric cancers, renal cell carcinoma, colorectal cancer, esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, lung cancer | (35, 54, 59, 63, 67–69) | ||
| Pleural effusion | ↓: Lung cancer | (66) | |
| Phosphatidylethanolamines | Serum/plasma | ↑: Pancreatic cancer | (28, 70) |
| Pleural effusion | ↓: Lung cancer | (66) | |
| Lysophosphatidylethanolamines | Serum/plasma | ↑: Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma | (59) |
| ↓: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, colorectal cancer | (69, 70) | ||
| Sphingomyelins | Serum/plasma | ↑: Ovarian cancer, papillary thyroid cancer, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, endometrial cancer | (47, 70–72) |
| ↓: Laryngeal cancer, | (73) | ||
| Ceramides | Serum/plasma | ↑: Ovarian cancer | (71) |
| ↓: Pancreatic cancer | (67, 70) | ||
| Glycocholic acid | Serum/plasma | ↑: Colon cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, pancreatic cancer | (57, 60, 74) |
| Estradiol | Serum | ↑: Breast cancer | (75) |
| Urine | ↑: Breast cancer | (76, 77) | |
| Others | |||
| Hippuric acid | Urine | ↓: Prostate cancer, renal cell carcinoma, bladder cancer | (23, 78, 79) |
Up arrow indicates increase, down arrow indicates decrease.