Metabolomic Profiling from Tumor Tissue Using Targeted LC/MS/MS
Author Information
Author(s): Kelly Andrew D., Breitkopf Susanne B., Yuan Min, Goldsmith Jeffrey, Spentzos Dimitrios, Asara John M.
Primary Institution: Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School
Hypothesis
Can reliable metabolomic data be obtained from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tumor specimens?
Conclusion
The study demonstrates that reliable and informative metabolomic data can be acquired from FFPE soft tissue sarcoma specimens.
Supporting Evidence
- The study detected an average of 106 metabolites across the samples.
- Unsupervised hierarchical clustering successfully distinguished tumor from normal tissue.
- The variance in metabolite peak intensity was significantly higher in tumor specimens compared to normal samples.
Takeaway
Researchers found a way to study cancer metabolites from preserved tissue samples, which could help in finding new cancer markers.
Methodology
The study used targeted liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) to analyze metabolites from FFPE specimens.
Potential Biases
There may be bias due to the small sample size and the paired nature of tumor and normal samples.
Limitations
The study is limited by the small sample size and the potential degradation of metabolites in FFPE tissue.
Participant Demographics
The specimens included five soft tissue sarcomas and five paired normal samples from the same patients.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.013193
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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